ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Research Quality Assurance
for the Future
RQ08
A Quality Review of Research
at Lund University 2007/08
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© Lund University 2008
Editors GS Boulton and B Söderström
www.lu.se/forskning/utvaerdering-av-forskning---rq08
www.lu.se/lund-university/research/research-evaluation---rq08
Graphic design: Petra Francke, Corporate Communications, Lund University
Cover photo: Mikael Risedal
Printed by: 08 Tryck AB, Bromma. Sweden
Year of publication: 2008
Print run: 600
ISBN: 91-8829236-3
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CONTENTS
Foreword.......................................................................................................... 5
Preface.............................................................................................................. 9
PART 1 – BACKGROUND
A: Context – the Role of the University............................................................10
B: Lund University’s Objectives and the Remit for the Review..........................11
C: Structure and Process of the Review............................................................12
D: Approach to Evaluation of Research Excellence...........................................13
PART 2 – CONCLUSIONS OF THE REVIEW
E: Summary of the Research Evaluations.........................................................14
F: Cross-Cutting Suggestions for Improving
the Vitality and Impact of Research............................................................ 28
G: Suggestions for Future Review Processes.................................................... 43
H: National Issues that Influence the Quality and Impact of Research.............. 46
PART 3 – ANNEXES
Annex 1 – Reports of Review Panels.......................................................... 53
Panel 1 – Law............................................................................................. 54
Panel 2 – Religious Studies...........................................................................81
Panel 3 – Arts............................................................................................. 94
Panel 4 – Languages / Philosophy..............................................................130
Panel 5 – Behavioural Sciences...................................................................141
Panel 6 – Social Sciences............................................................................158
Panel 7 – Economics and Management (LUSEM)........................................189
Panel 8 – Medicine | Clinical.......................................................................220
Panel 9 – Medicine | Experimental.............................................................253
Panel 10 – Medicine | Laboratory...............................................................271
Panel 11 – Medicine | Health Sciences....................................................... 299
Panel 12 – Science Bio / Geo......................................................................320
Panel 13 – Physics / Mathematics...............................................................351
Panel 14 – Chemistry................................................................................ 384
Panel 15 – LTH | Product Development.......................................................418
Panel 16 – Systems Science........................................................................452
Panel 17 – LTH | Building............................................................................476
Annex 2 – Membership of the Review Panels.......................................... 505
Annex 3 – Panel Structure..........................................................................513
Annex 4 – Terms of Reference....................................................................516
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foreword
Foreword
The initiative to perform this evaluation of all research at Lund University,
Research Quality Evaluation for the Future – RQ08, was indirectly
taken by the University Board by accepting the Lund University Strategic
Plan 2007–2010. Here is stated that the first research evaluation by
external panels shall be carried out during 2008. The aims of such an
evaluation are many-folded but can be generalized as an instrument
to strengthen the research quality of the university but also to identify
processes which may foster a development towards more strong research
environments.
In January 2007 the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Göran Bexell, asked me to
organize a research evaluation. During the spring 2007 different formats
of the evaluation were discussed. In May the Vice-Chancellor took the
formal decision to appoint me as a project manager and a Project Steering
Group (3 members + the project manager) was named. The work then
intensified. The decision to actually start the evaluation was made in
September when a project reference group was appointed. The format of
the evaluation was here also decided and a project office was established.
In October a web page was published including a time plan which,
during the running project, had to be slightly adjusted. The University
staff thus was informed about the coming evaluation and its format
during the autumn 2007. During the whole process, both the Project
Steering Group and the Reference Group have been very important for
policy discussions as well as more detailed modelling of the evaluation
procedure.
The adopted general format was based on a peer review procedure.
Distinguished international scholars were invited to evaluate research
performance and future plans based on self-evaluations of the departments
as well as data collected from university common databases. Full
lists of publications should be available for the evaluators from the Lund
University Publications data base, a service that unfortunately was not
fully functional during the process. The departments were allocated
under 17 different groups and a panel of experts was appointed to each
group of departments.
Allocation of the departments under different panels (see Annex 3) as
well as the assignment of the evaluators, the panellists, (see Annex 2), was
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foreword
made in a close and continued interaction with the faculty leaderships.
Only panellists working outside Sweden were appointed and each panel
consisted of 4–9 experts. In all 117 experts were engaged (incl. external
advisors requested by some panels). The Panellists and Panel Chairs were
appointed by the Vice-Chancellor. A Main Chair was also appointed.
The evaluation procedure included a site visit by the Panel Chairs and
Vice Chairs (appointed by the panels) to Lund 9–13 June. Before that
each panel met one to two days in April–May, meetings many of which
were organized in Copenhagen. Some panels met in London, Paris or
Helsinki. One major reason for adopting this procedure rather than site
visits of all panellists, was to make the evaluation work of the invited
experts less time consuming.
The departments prepared their final reports during January and February
2008 during which time the other data material was also finalized. All
reports and all additional material were made available to all evaluators at
a Project Portal and each evaluator was also supported with all material
referring to their panel via e-mail in March or later.
During the panel meetings, the evaluators were given a standardized
presentation by a representative from the RQ08 project office, including
descriptions of the Swedish university system, national and local research
resource allocation systems, types of university positions and other basic
information. Then, the panels discussed the Terms of Reference (Annex 4)
and agreed on their working procedure. They also discussed their general
views on the background material available and the departments under
review. Many panels decided they needed more material on which to base
their evaluation work, material that was supported by the departments
after requests from the project office. Possible non-attending members
of the panels were normally connected via telephone. During all panel
meetings, possible conflicts of interests were raised, discussed and handled.
In some cases they were also discussed in the Project Steering Group.
Preliminary reports were prepared in time for the site visit of the panel
chairs and vice-chairs and in these reports questions to handle during the
site visit were also raised. During the site visit (June 9–13), meetings were
organized with the university leadership (common session) and faculty
leaderships (joint session with a few panels). Each panel met the departmental
chairs as well as representatives for young and senior researchers.
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foreword
In all, almost 200 individuals from Lund University were engaged during
these 5 days. During a series of common session, organized and chaired
by the Main Chair, common and more general issues were discussed. The
first two parts of this report is a result of these sessions.
After the site visit, the panel reports were finalized and submitted. It is
inevitable that the different panels have interpreted the terms of reference
slightly differently, that the format of the reports differ and indeed, that
there might be slightly different formats also within a report. After the
general presentation at the panel meetings, the RQ08 representatives
have had no influence whatsoever on the 17 panels’ working procedure
and report writing – the office has only served the panels with demanded
material and information.
Before handing the reports to the printer, the Heads of Departments were
invited to submit corrections of the reports with regard to the data and
information originally submitted. The suggested corrections were then
handed over to the Panel Chairs for possible adjustments. Normally, only
significant corrections that had an effect on the evaluation outcome were
considered. Few such corrections were made.
During the evaluation work many panels asked for bibliometric data,
like citation analyses, to support the department reports. Unfortunately,
we were not able to produce such data. However, in parallel to this peer
review based evaluation, a full bibliometic analysis of Lund University
will be carried out.
We now hand over the final result of the Lund University Research Quality
Evaluation for the Future, RQ08, to the University for further actions.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the evaluators, to the Panel
Chairs, Vice-Chairs and to the Main Chair. It has been a privilege
working for you and your professionalism, integrity and patience has
been truly impressive, particularly considering the extremely hard time
schedule we have all been working under. The extra dimension of the
evaluation that was added by the Main Chair’s initiative and hard word, I
think gives the final report a strongly added value.
Also, I would like to thank the departments and the faculties for efficiently
supporting the panels with additional material during the spring,
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foreword
an extra work task they had not been warned about in advance, all done
under extreme time pressure. Also, all extra efforts during the site visit in
June were very important and highly appreciated.
Lund August 15, 2008
Bengt Söderström
RQ08 Project Manager
All background material to RQ08 is available in an Appendix to this
main report.
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preface
Preface
The review of research at the University of Lund was designed to assess
the quality of the research effort and to suggest ways in which an
already high standard of research could be even further improved. It
was conducted by a team of experienced and distinguished academics
and researchers. They were impressed by the pattern of excellence in the
University’s research, and have commented without fear or favour on
opportunities and potential improvements.
The report is divided into three parts. Part 1 sets out the background to
the review: the review team’s view of the role and significance of universities
to society, the vital context for their judgements, the University’s
rationale for the review, the terms of reference for the review team, the
process of the review and the team’s approach to evaluation.
Part 2 summarises the conclusions of the review by broad disciplinary
area, suggests areas for future improvement in the structures and
processes that facilitate research, suggests how future reviews might be
improved, and addresses national issues that influence the excellence and
impact of research in Lund and, it is suggested, throughout the Swedish
universities.
Part 3 gives the detailed reports of all 17 disciplinary panels involved in
the review, the membership of panels, the panel structure and detailed
terms of reference.
Geoffrey Boulton,
Main Chair of the Review
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Part 1 – background
PART 1 – BACKGROUND
A. CONTEXT – THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY
1. Research-intensive universities are amongst the great entrepreneurial
centres of the modern world. They are important national assets
that generate a wide diversity of social benefits: as vital sources of
new knowledge and innovative thinking, as major components of
the national research base, as providers of skilled personnel and
credible credentials, as contributors to innovation, as attractors
of international talent and business investment into a region, as
agents of social justice and mobility, and as contributors to social
and cultural vitality. Their exploration of the boundaries of human
understanding through research not only provides a direct source
of innovation in society, but crucially, is the ideal setting in which
the rising generation learn to question interpretations, to reduce
the chaos of information to the order of an analytical argument, to
seek out what is relevant to the resolution of a problem and to do so
by rational argument supported by evidence. They learn not to be
dismayed by complexity but to unravel it, to seek the true meaning
of things, to distinguish between the true and the merely seemingly
true, to verify for themselves what is stable in that very unstable
compound that often passes for knowledge. These are the attributes
that a modern society needs in its citizens, and are the source of
the creativity that is a engine of change for both society and the
economy.
2. Such an enterprise is not easy to manage. It is not like managing
industrial production in response to market demand, and effective
models cannot be directly imported from industry. Its great
strengths are its unpredictable creativity and entrepreneurialism,
which derive from the relative freedom and autonomy of its academics
and the lack of inhibition of its students. The challenge
for a University’s leadership is to implement the changes that are
needed from time to time if the University is to retain its vitality
and relevance, whilst not inhibiting the freedom that makes it a
creative force that will forge the ideas, the concepts and the people
that the future will need. The challenge for government, which in
Sweden, as in Europe, is the principal funder of universities, and for
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Part 1 – background
society and university governing boards, is to articulate a compact
that recognises the value of university autonomy and freedom and
supports them, but is able to assess their value and benefit to society
without oppressive accountability or restrictive mechanisms of
control that undermine a university’s potential for creativity and
innovation.
B. LUND UNIVERSITY’S OBJECTIVES
AND THE REMIT FOR THE REVIEW
3. Lund University’s top level objective set out in its Strategic Plan for
2007–2011 is to be a leading contributor to Swedish, European and
global society as one of the foremost universities in Europe in both
education and research, and with all its undertakings being ranked
among the national leaders in their fields. Its strategies for achieving
these objectives are based on:
• quality assurance;
• cross-disciplinary collaboration;
• internationalization;
• and leader, teacher and employee excellence.
4. Lund University’s research is very strong in comparison to other
Swedish institutions. For example, in the last two years it has won
8 and 6 out of 20 respectively of the prestigious,10-year Linnaeus
grants from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).
How ever, notwithstanding areas of the highest international
excellence, its overall position in the international rankings that
have been produced in recent years is lower than it would wish. Its
strategy to enhance the international competitiveness of its research
includes a regular process of review designed to test its performance
against international standards, to set a benchmark against which
future improvement can be judged and to advise on and stimulate
the research strategies that will be required for progress. The
University also intends to use the outcome of the current review as
basis for selective funding to stimulate and reward excellence.
5. A distinguished international group of experts in the fields of study
represented in Lund were therefore commissioned to undertake the
first such review during 2008. It had the following terms of reference:
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Part 1 – background
• to assess the quality of research across the whole university;
• to identify research of the highest international standard and to
suggest how it might be further strengthened;
• to identify research areas and research environments that have
the potential to develop towards the highest level of international
research, and to determine what is necessary to ensure such
development;
• to identify research areas and research environments which are
not internationally or nationally competitive and which lack
developmental potential;
• to identify processes and changes within the University which
would promote achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan.
6. It is anticipated that this will be the first of a series of regular
reviews designed to monitor and stimulate a process of continuous
improvement. Based on the experience of this review, section G
suggests how future reviews might improve in analytic value whilst
minimizing disruption to the work of the University.
C. THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESS OF THE REVIEW
7. Lund University has about 70 departments or similar units
grouped into nine faculties (eight faculty boards). Most of its work
is concentrated in Lund, but with significant activities in Malmö.
The University has about 3,800 academic and research staff, and
about 26,600 full time equivalent students, of which 1,600 are
postgraduates. For the purposes of the review, the departments and
other units were grouped into 17 cognate units of assessment, with a
specialist panel allocated to each unit as shown in Annex 2.
8. Review panels received assessment materials comprising details of
staff and research student complement, income, publication record,
a description of research activities, a SWOT analysis and future
plans, together with terms of reference, the university strategic plan
and a paper describing Swedish national policy for research. Some
panels requested additional materials including lists of projects,
research teams, full publication lists etc., and some interrogated
web-based sources of publication.
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Part 1 – background
9. All panels had a plenary one-day meeting to discuss their collective
conclusions during the period April–May 2008, and most produced
interim assessments prior to or during a group visit to Lund of
Panel chairs and vice-chairs (see annex 2) during the week 9–13
June 2008. The early part of the week involved meetings with staff
and researchers. Plenary meetings identified cross-cutting issues,
including cross-discipline developments, and agreed the structure
of a final report. There was iteration with staff at all levels to explore
specific issues. The week ended with a feedback session for senior
staff of the University. Reports were collated and revised during
June–July 2008.
D. APPROACH TO EVALUATION OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
10. Lund University encompasses an extremely wide range of research
activity that is subdivided into a large number of administrative
units that vary greatly in size. Cognate groups have been categorized
together in 17 units of assessment, each one of which has been
assessed by a suitably skilled panel so as to produce an assessment
of the spectrum of research quality across them. Although in some
cases it has proved possible to reach a summative conclusion about
the quality of research in the panel area as a whole, it is the assessment
of the spectrum of research quality in the assessed unit that is
the fundamental output of the review.
11. It is also important to stress that there is little basis for making direct
comparisons between disciplines or discipline areas. The nature
of the research process, the nature of the research community, and
the nature of publication in areas such as Chemistry or History are
so different that a ranking based on a direct comparison would be
meaningless. The criteria that have been employed in assessment, as
set out in Annex 3, are of the performance of each assessed area in
relation to international and national standards of excellence in that
area.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
PART 2 – CONCLUSIONS OF THE REVIEW
12. The terms of reference for the review in paragraph 5 (see also Annex
4) contain two broad components: firstly a review of the current
status of research in the University of Lund, and secondly how
the University’s research might be strengthened and the goals of
the strategic plan that relate to research achieved. Section E below
summarises the first, and Annex 1 provides in-depth analysis at
the level of individual Panels. In relation to the second, section F
below suggests cross-cutting, University level priorities; Annex 1
makes suggestions for improvement at the level investigated by
individual Panels; and section H comments on national processes
that influence the quality of research.
E. SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH EVALUATIONS
13. The detailed panel reviews at the level of individual units of
assessment are contained in Annex 1. The following summaries
are presented as an overview of the assessment for those who do
not wish to go into detail. To do this we have somewhat arbitrarily
subdivided the assessment into five areas: Humanities and Arts,
Social Sciences, Science, Medicine, and Engineering.
E1. HUMANITIES AND ARTS
(Panels: 2 Religious Studies, 3 Arts, 4 Philosophy/Languages)
Theology and Religious Studies
14. Research quality ranges from excellent in some units to good/
very good in others. Research, particularly in the areas of Biblical
Studies, Church History and History of religion is based on a
small number, particularly of full professors who have widespread
international reputations and contribute to the main contemporary
theological debates and issues. The standard is very good/excellent,
but there is a lack of the infrastructural support and the PhD
students that would translate this into an outstanding effort and
create greater impact in current international debates.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
15. There is considerable potential to create a focus area on the theme
of current developments in Islam in the Nordic countries of Europe
and their relations to Islam in the Middle East (combining major
issues in religious studies with Arabic Language and Culture,
especially in the northern regions of India/Pakistan, and special
focus on Indic Religions, Jainism, Sikhism). Such a project would
deal with the central issue of European migration in terms of religious
and cultural identities. Lund is the only Swedish university with
the research infrastructure for this major issue. It would benefit
from a chair in Indic religions and links with the new established
chair of inter-religious theology being established in Jerusalem. The
University is encouraged to consider supporting a major bid for EU
support, but effective development of this research area would also
need to be supported by new study programmes, new positions for
research and teaching, particularly in languages as base for PhD
research, and cooperation with a university in the Middle East and/
or North India. Such a focus area also would also make a major
contribution to internationalization of the CTR.
History, Culture and Communication
16. Under the heading ‘Arts’ a number of departments and disciplines
are brought together that in various ways are concerned with
questions related to history, culture and communication at the
international as well as at the national level. A recent restructuring
has brought area studies together with comparative literature and
foreign language literatures as well as film studies as one part of
the Language and Literature Centre (LLC). This merger is considered
to be an advantage by the scholars involved and seems to
have initiated a fruitful development. A similar restructuring will
bring a number of fields together in a new larger unit including
Ethnology and the former departments of Cultural Sciences and
of Art and Musicology. Since there are several related research
interests in these fields, there are good reasons to expect that the
new organization will instigate new initiatives. The departments of
History, Archaeology and Ancient History are already large units.
In the coming structure there are a number of cross-departmental
issues and competences, particularly in the large field of cultural
history, cultural analysis and cultural theory. Area studies also
integrate disciplines that belong to a variety of departments (history,
contemporary sociology, intellectual history, arts, literature,
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
media and popular culture). What will be needed are thus not only
a good leadership and a lively internal community of scholars at the
department level, but also interdepartmental structures to support
cross-disciplinary research.
17. Among the most successful sections are area studies and similar
research in foreign cultures. They belong, together with History.
Human Ecology and Semiotics, to the excellent parts of the
History, Culture and Communication part of the Humanities.
Research in many of the subsections is very good and some is good.
18. There are a number of potential areas of development that are
not institutionalized as subjects, e.g. popular culture and media
studies. In some areas a higher degree of internationalization (of
subject matter as well as publication and collaboration) would be
desirable. It should be a priority for the faculty, as it is in the future
plans in a number of the research communities. A striking disparity
exists between the language section and the literature/film/area
studies section of LLC. There are about two times as many scholars
in languages compared to literature/film/area studies. There are
very few scholars in the fields of foreign literatures and cultures,
and there are none in German and Italian, just to stay within the
European context. In general it should be a strategic goal to expand
the representation of expertise in foreign cultures.
19. Although the quality of the majority of the research in the fields
under consideration here is very good or even excellent, the articulation
of plans for the future is in some cases (although not all cases,
as e.g. History demonstrates) disappointing. There is in several
fields a need to strengthen planning – also with a view to applications
for external funding. In many of the fields there has been a
serious decrease in such funds.
Philosophy
20. The Philosophical Institutes comprises three sections: Theoretical
Philosophy, Practical Philosophy and Cognitive Science. Impressive
research in cognitive science and practical philosophy has been
led by world-leading scholars. The recent addition of a Professor
of Theoretical Philosophy has created a very strong constellation
that allows fruitful cross-fertilization of research, and has enabled
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
younger researchers to establish international profiles. Research in
theoretical philosophy, now covers an impressively wide scope.
21. However, the outlook is unpromising, such that it is difficult to
evaluate plans for the future. The low level of funding has permitted
very few PhD posts to be filled. About half the members of staff
appear to be employed on contracts that will terminate in the immediate
future. A number of researchers hold permanent part-time
teaching positions that are supplemented by external funding. The
current research leaders will retire in a few years time. They were
appointed prior to the recent reforms of professorial promotion.
It is questionable whether the new procedures are consistent with
appointment of the best talents. The Philosophical Institute no
longer finds its natural research partners within its traditional home
in the Faculty of Humanities. There is a serious need for a strategic
view by the University about the future of the Institute.
Languages
22. There are a few publications with high international impact, especially
in general linguistics (including generative and cognitive linguistics),
phonetics, Nordic languages, language acquisition and Romance
languages. Many publications find their most interested readership
in a predominantly Nordic or Swedish context and are published
accordingly. This said, it must be kept in mind that the Nordic context
is the primary one for Nordic languages. Quality is not only a matter
of impact, but also of originality and innovative power. Some of publications
were clearly at the leading edge of current research, excellent
in terms of innovation as well as impact, but the larger picture is one
of research that is of sound quality rather than high originality.
23. The establishment of the Centre for Languages and Literature
(SOL) in 2006 was an important and creative step in consolidating
resources and capabilities, re-profiling existing capacities and
increasing collaboration between the many languages. Such major
reorganizations require time to develop their full potential as well as
creating new cross-disciplinary networks and research profiles. This
process is now in its mid infancy and should be strongly supported.
24. The Humanities Laboratory is a valuable research resource that has
facilitated innovative cross-disciplinary research. We expect that it
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
will become increasingly effective in this role. It is a major generator
of external funding, and it should be a primary aim of the relevant
faculties to determine the organizational status of the Humanities
Laboratory and to secure its funding on a permanent basis. The
absence of professors of English language is a serious drawback in
the modern linguistic environment and should be corrected.
E2. SOCIAL SCIENCES
(Panels: 1 Law, 5 Behavioural Sciences, 6 Social Sciences, 7 Economics &
Management)
Introduction
25. Units concerned with the social and behavioural sciences include
psychology, sociology, gender studies, education, media and communication,
law, and economics and management (LUSEM). They
relate to areas of important societal need and key issues for public
policy. They have strong links to the humanities, medicine, technology,
and the arts. They have important implications for many areas
of cross- and inter-disciplinary research.
Research quality
26. In general, research is of high quality, with grades awarded ranging
from insufficient to excellent. In the social sciences, the School of
Social Work undertakes excellent research, with a mix of professional
education and scholarship of international quality. In the
behavioural sciences, the Department of Psychology is very good,
approaching excellent, being in the forefront of research related
to clinical, neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. The Department
of Economic History is one the largest of its kind in the
world, with excellent research of high international standard. An
additional focus on economics could well propel research into the
outstanding category. The Department of Economics also produces
excellent research and has good potential to rise even higher in
international rankings. Among the larger interdisciplinary units
CIRCLE stands out as excellent with a large and influential scholarly
productivity. To maintain excellence, it is important that the
university encourages research quality by creating clear incentives
for top-level publications. Such incentives could include greater
time available for research for those of proven excellence.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
Potential development areas
27. All the above areas have considerable potential for further development.
In areas that are not so highly rated, there is also good potential,
particularly in gender studies, media and communication, and
East and South-East Asian studies. In law, because of the reduced
size of the individual units in the faculty, a potential for excellence
lies in interdisciplinary projects and cooperation between different
legal disciplines, as is the case generally within social sciences.
The development of greater cross-disciplinary collaboration on
important contemporary issues should be a priority for inter-faculty
cooperation.
Areas where development is problematic
28. There are several relatively weak areas, such as Education (not
including Malmö Academy of Music which was very positively
assessed separately by an external scientist: See Annex 1, Panel 5
Behavioural Sciences, Section 4) and Informatics, where considerable
material and staffing support would be necessary if significant
change is to be achieved. A decision whether to do this, for instance
in Education, should depend on the extent to which the University
believes the area is intrinsically important as an area for study.
Strategies and processes to promote achievement of goals
29. We see a clear deficit in the way the University operationalises general
strategic goals into manageable targets and processes supporting
those targets at the faculty and department level. It would be
useful to create clear ways of measuring research quality, and ways
in which these measures, through a working incentive structure,
would bring, for example, salary increases or more research time at
the department or individual level.
30. At the moment, the excessive teaching load of in most areas clearly
prevents the development of research. Areas identified as excellent
or approaching excellence should be expected to produce strategic
plans in order to maintain the quality of research.
31. The promotion system seems to hinder effective external and strategic
recruitment of the best available scholars. A clear university-level
policy encouraging faculties to recruit new professors by open competition
should be implemented as a general rule, in preference to
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
the now dominant route of internal promotion. In many fields, the
small number of doctoral students could undermine the potential
for development in those fields. There is often no well-structured
research training (Ph.D. programme) or recruitment strategy.
E3. SCIENCE
(Panels: 12 Biogeoscience, 13 Physics, 14 Chemistry)
Biogeosciences
32. Research of the highest international standard is done by the Lund
Vision Group, in animal migration and flight energetics, in soil
microbial ecology, in Quaternary Science and on the global carbon
cycle. The quality of scientific research overall is, not surprisingly, of
high variance. There are identifiable research groups and some whole
departments that are unarguably world leaders. There are others with
low research productivity with papers published only in national
(rather than international) low-impact journals. More usually, as far
as departments are concerned, there is a full spectrum of research
groupings ranging from outstanding to barely satisfactory.
33. There is no quick fix for improving the situation bearing in mind
the fact the full undergraduate courses must be taught and therefore
wide-ranging teaching expertise must be retained. In addition,
strengthening research groups generally requires new appointments,
which, within the budgetary landscape, must be very limited in
number. There is one research area, however, which deserves immediate
attention and that relates to the two museums. At present,
research activity at both is unsatisfactory, and the two professors
(studying animals and plants) are near retirement age. A political
decision has been made to retain the internationally important
collections, with their many type specimens, in Lund. The professors
will need to be replaced shortly. We recommend making proleptic
appointments immediately, with the appointment panel consisting
largely of internationally respected museum research scientists.
34. Scientists frequently move Universities in mid-career, from one
tenured position to another. That is refreshing for all concerned
including the scientists’ research output and the University
department that hires them. This seems less easily achieved in
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
Lund, partly for the reasons outlined in section F2. Its effects are
compounded by the fact that a high proportion of academic staff
have only been out of Lund or Sweden for a year or two for postdoctoral
experience.
Physics
35. Physics as a whole is of the highest international standard with
many outstanding groups. It is one of the crown jewels of Lund
University, with excellent prospects of opening new scientific
horizons, as they have done in the past. The areas of outstanding
achievement include nano-science (the nanometre consortium),
nano-biotechnology, computational biology, astronomy, synchrotron
radiation and accelerator physics (MAX-lab), atomic physics
(LLC) including ultra fast science, combustion physics and mathematical
physics. It is a powerful record of achievement. Notwithstanding
complicated organisational structures, the two faculties
between which physics is spread are able to work closely together,
particularly reflected in collaborations between basic and more
applied science.
36. The faculty has many outstanding scientists, but gives young talent
both space and opportunity to develop their own careers, in spite of
the lack of a transparent career structure and the national funding.
The groups and department have a collegial atmosphere towards
their younger faculty that supports their attempts to attract funding.
There are many PhD students and staff that have graduated
from Lund University, but senior members of staff are aware of the
danger of inbreeding and are taking appropriate measures to ensure
the focus on quality.
37. Major opportunities exist in the near future with new large-scale
facilities like MAX IV and ESS Advanced Materials Centre, Life
Science and accelerator science. The merger of Astronomy and
Theoretical Physics should create more critical mass in computational
physics and will strengthen the educational base of the department.
However, it is not clear to the panel that a complete merger
for all departments would be beneficial and give more coherent
science. In some areas of physics there is definite need to bring in
female faculty and the panel would urge the department to work
out strategic plans and incentives.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
Mathematics
38. Mathematics continues to maintain international standards and
presence despite lack of funding opportunities for curiosity driven
research. Collectively, staff members are editors of ten internationally
respected journals. All research oriented faculty members publish in
and serve as referees for a number of respected international journals.
They have also been awarded prestigious national and international
awards. The needs of mathematicians are modest and small amounts
of funding will go a long way in attracting/retaining young faculty
with high international reputations. Some areas already have extensive
collaborations both within Lund University, with local industry
and with other international groups. Others in mathematics could
benefit from initiatives that foster interdisciplinary work.
Chemistry
39. The panel is greatly impressed by the many excellent and outstanding
groups operating within the umbrella of chemical sciences.
(This also applies to the Department of Immunotechnology, which
was assessed separately by an external scientist: see Annex 1, Panel 5
Chemistry, Section 5). There are indisputably star individuals, and
the central facilities are second to none – arguably among the best in
the world. Excellent and outstanding research areas are numerous.
Those areas of activities adjacent to biology are particularly good.
So far as the physico-chemical sciences are concerned, there is room
for new directions of research devoted to preparation and synthesis
of new materials across the entire domain of chemistry. The new
molecules and materials will befit the university in two ways:
i) Offering new directions of activities in physico-chemical
sciences;
ii) Making the department more attractive for Swedish and
international industry.
40. To maintain a high standard and to enhance it further, certain
courses of action must now be implemented. Among these, we
identify the following:
i) Recruitment of excellent faculty (both external and internal)
with the necessary financial support to do international quality
research;
ii) Adopting initiatives for improving and attracting undergraduate
students from high schools;
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
iii) Commitment from the faculty and institutions to young
scientists embarking on scientific careers;
iv) Clear, long-term strategy from Lund University as to what
disciplines should be taught and also what areas of research
should be represented at the university. This strategy should be
based on what successful research is done at the university and
on societal needs.
v) Seeking ways to nullify the oppressive financial burden that
permeates the departments.
E4. MEDICINE
(Panels: 8 Medicine | Clinical, 9 Medicine | Experimental, 10 Medicine |
Laboratory, 11 Health Sciences).
41. The research and teaching activities of the Faculty of Medicine are
divided between two campuses: one in Lund, the other in Malmö.
The work and methodology of the faculty covers a very broad
spectrum, from highly innovative biological laboratory studies
through to qualitative investigations of the effects of severe mental
illness on peoples’ everyday lives, all very relevant to the health of
today’s communities. The areas of research also cover the whole life
span, from perinatal care to supportive environments for the very
old. Despite the relative geographic vicinity of the two campuses,
the division does cause problems both at the level of infrastructure
and in friction related to productive collaboration, given that the
main emphasis of the research strategy of the Faculty is on translational
research. Therefore, measures should be taken to develop and
improve the interaction with the hospitals in Malmö and Lund.
Research quality
42. The scientific quality and activity of the research in the Faculty
is on average good to very good. There is substantial variation in
outputs between different research groups and units, with individual
grading ranging from outstanding to insufficient. The areas of
the highest international standard are:
• The Stem Cell Centre Lund, which is at the international
cutting edge in its field but faces a challenge, with the departure
of its leader. There is a need to recruit a prominent leader who
can attract external funding to continue to build one of the very
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
outstanding 6–7 year old programmes at Lund University. The
results from basic stem cell research are likely to affect clinical
medicine in the near future.
• Neurophysiology, where the Neurofortis and Bacadilico Consortium
has gained international visibility and is a leading unit
in its field. Neurophysiology appears to have secured its vitality
after the retirement of the current PI.
• Angiology, Cardiology and Medicine, Malmö which has
an advanced biobanking system, undertakes research that is
“Excellent-Outstanding”. In several areas (in particular: Cancer
Epidemiology – especially nutrition and cancer; genetic epidemiology;
and inflammation and immunity in atherosclerosis)
members of this faculty have international prominence.
• Endocrinology, Malmö has been very successful. Having
certain key senior investigators of high international reputation,
they have successfully generated a number of smaller sub-teams,
headed by younger PIs, who cover different sub-areas within a
well-integrated network. The quality and quantity of scientific
production has been increasing continuously and is now at
the absolutely highest international level. (There is also close
national collaboration with the major epidemiological projects
in the Malmö region.) Clinical mechanistic physiological
investigations in humans could perhaps be expanded.
• Microbiology, Immunology and Glycobiology have generated
several pioneering contributions to understanding microbial
pathogenesis and mucosal inflammation.
Areas with potential
to develop towards the highest level
43. Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy needs a better transgenic
animal facility. More emphasis should be put on translational work.
Health and care of women and children is a productive unit on an
international level with a strong infrastructure. It undertakes effective
translational research in a cross-disciplinary setting. Cell and
Matrix Biology, Vascular and Airway Research has the potential
to reach the international frontline in research. A closer interaction
between individual groups would facilitate positive developments.
Research on Drug Dependence is currently an internationally
recognized unit. The potential to develop further is dependent on
success in forthcoming recruitments exercises. It is important that
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
it competes for the best talents. Another area with great potential is
Ageing and the Elderly, which could move towards the higher level
of international research, if the areas of Gerontology, Ageing and
Supporting Environments (including CASE), the Elderly Chronically
Ill and Palliative Care, are brought together, and include the
support that Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Geriatric
Medicine brings to these research projects.
Areas and research environments that are not
internationally or nationally competitive
and which lack evident development potential
44. • Pathology and Forensic Medicine in Lund, Imaging Units at
Dept of Clinical Sciences, Lund and Malmö Diagnostic
Radiology can be only rated as insufficient and good only in
the area of Neuroradiology. Research in Diagnostic Radiology
could be improved and enhanced by stronger input from
Medical Radiation Physics or Biomedical Engineering. In the
same way, Clinical Physiology could profit greatly from the
know-how and infrastructure of Medical Radiation Physics.
• Dept of Medicine, Lund (Part of). Research activities focus on
diabetes, type I and II, with four groups active in the field, with
extensive list of publications and a high number of citations.
The key threat to this Department is the age of the principal
investigators (three out of four professors are in the range 63–66
years old) and the need to take strategic steps for the future. A
key issue will be replacement of these professors.
• Oncology. Unlike the research in laboratory work in molecular
medicine, clinical activity could develop and exploit translational
processes to create translational research of the highest
standard. Achieving this will critically dependent on appropriate
recruitment into clinical oncology.
• Pediatrics. The research staff of the Department is of limited
size given the importance of the discipline. There are however
a large number of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
External funding is reasonable, but not high. Despite this, the
list of publications by key investigators is impressive, and may
provide a basis for further development.
• Forensic Medicine is seen to lack potential for future development
in its present situation.
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Processes which may promote development
towards the goals of the Strategic Plan
45. These include:
• More professional fund raising systems.
• Focused recruitments of international scientists, which will
establish centres of excellence.
• Creation of better environments for translational research.
• Bringing together the several research areas into ageing and
elderly care.
• A clearer and more transparent structure for post-doctoral
research.
• Supporting the development of female researchers.
E5. ENGINEERING
(Panels 15 Product Development, 16 Systems Science, 17 Building)
Introduction
46. The College of Engineering, as would be expected in a world class
University, covers a broad range of areas that are divided in several
departments with a wide spectrum of disciplines.
Research Quality
47. On a global basis the quality of research at LTH (College of
Engineering) as a whole falls in the good to very good range.
Within the college, organizations and reorganizations have led to a
few departments that have the needed strength and size, while there
are several that are still operating as fragmented clusters, and a few
that have been broken down to less than critical mass and which
are therefore are not efficient or fully productive. For such a large
engineering college, we feel that the Material Research area does
not have the expected international visibility, in part because of
fragmentation, and that the Computer Science area is quite fragmented
and does not have the needed critical mass.
Areas of Excellence
48. Traditionally, areas such as Control Science, Energy Science,
Information Theory, Aerosol Sciences have been operating at the
highest international standards. Some such as Control Science will
clearly continue in spite of recent retirements, but there are concerns
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
that others may not be in the position to do so, depending on key
retirements. Others, specifically the Energy Science Department,
will need to expand further into cutting edge areas such as biofuels/biomass,
hydrogen storage, and fuel cells, in order to maintain
their current international prominence.
49. The involvement of engineering in public policies, social issues and
standards (IIIEE group) seems to be unique to LTH in that engineering
is the driving partner rather than the supporting group.
50. Focused and homogeneous groups, with critical mass, were found
to be in a position of secure sustainable funding for their activities
and therefore have the ability to move into innovative and high risk
areas. Unfortunately, this desirable situation is limited to only a few
groups in the college.
Potential Development Areas
51. In spite of limited faculty the Computer Graphics group has
achieved international prominence and could excel with further
planned expansion of the group with a defined focus. Water
Resources Engineering has created an impressive international
network and seems to be on its way to becoming an internationally
recognized unit. The EIT Department has had recent reorganization.
As a result interesting and potentially outstanding resources
were gathered. But the overall vision is still lacking that could
provide the additional synergy to put this department at the highest
international level.
52. The numerous organizations that the Department of Mechanical
Engineering has undergone have left it without being of critical
mass and have burdened the researchers with unusual teaching
loads, considerably minimizing its effectiveness and potential. The
fragmentation of the area of Building Science into several departments
is hindering it from realizing its potential.
Areas in need of Development
53. There is a group that we believe is not competitive in its current
constitution: Real Estate Science (Department of Technology and
Society). The Networking and Security Group (EIT) is a result of a
recent re-organization and needs more time to find its new position.
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Strategies and Processes
to Promote Achievement of Goals
54. Based on factors that are specific to LTH only, the working of the
Automatic Control Group/Department could be used as a standard
to improve the research and graduate study programs in most of the
other departments. 1
55. In spite of social trends, we feel that the low female to male student
ratio in engineering is positively addressed and we recommend
increasing these efforts considerably. LTH is not doing a good job
in attracting international PhD students because of inadequate PR
and advertising.
56. We feel that the current funding structure within the University
and the country is hindering not only graduate research but also
long range innovative strategic planning.
57. Teaching requirements seem to be totally arbitrary and vary
from group to group and department to department. Although
it is evident that to a major extent these are controlled by budget
constraints, some level of equity would help the staff feel invested
and could promote their research output and external funding.
F. CROSS-CUTTING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
IMPROVING THE VITALITY AND IMPACT OF RESEARCH
58. A number of issues that influence the vitality of the research environment
recurred in the deliberations of many or all panels, and
which we suggest should be adopted as priorities for action by the
University’s leadership. We are aware that some of these are relatively
intractable because they reflect long-standing traditions and
1. On organization, it is noted that the Automatic Control Department is much smaller
than the other departments and is of outstanding quality. There are historic reasons for
this, regarding its initial establishment, its continuing international reputation, and its academic
goals of both theoretical advances and applications across a wide range of domains.
It would be inappropriate to draw any general organizational conclusions except to say that
the structure needs to be sufficiently flexible to allow such anomalies rather than conclude
either that this model be more widely adopted or that this department should become a
group within a larger department.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
procedures that are characteristic of the Swedish university system,
and in some cases may require action at national level. We address
these latter issues in section H, which we hope will be of value to
national stakeholders.
F1. The make-up of the academic community
59. The foremost international universities increasingly owe their
strengths to their capacity to act as magnets for international
talents. These bring a diversity of inspiration to the university
and to the society of which it is part. They stimulate international
collaboration and the mobility of people and ideas that continually
refresh the university. The pool of talent from which Lund University
draws tends to be limited to Sweden and indeed is dominated
by its own graduates. If Lund wishes to rank amongst the best in
the world, this must change. It should adapt its processes so that it
is increasingly able to draw on the international pool of talent.
60. The processes that require attention if this is to happen are associated
with the point of entry to the university, the structure of careers
and salaries, and a number of other issues that influence the attractiveness
of Lund for researchers. They are addressed in sections F2
below. We regard them as fundamental issues that influence the
research potential of the university, as they have a great influence on
the University’s capacity to attract and develop staff of the highest
calibre, and it is the quality of the University’s staff that is the single
most important determinant of its research strength.
F2. The structure of careers and research training
a) The point of entry to the University
61. Current processes by which tenured staff are appointed encourages
PhD graduates to take up a variety of fixed term posts within the
University until the application of Swedish employment law requires
that they are given permanent posts or until a tenured position
can be found for them. The University should move to a position
where there is a clear entry point into tenured academic posts and
where such posts are advertised nationally and internationally with
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
a view to appointing the best possible candidates. (Box 1 shows the
pattern of academic/research posts in Swedish universities).
62. Such a move would of course involve a number of linguistic issues.
Although it might draw in staff from other Scandinavian countries,
its greatest impact would be if it were to decide to draw on talent
from the wider world, in which English is the lingua franca. The
University might wish to apply a language requirement, or it might
accept that a growing proportion of its staff may become predominantly
anglophone.
63. We are also aware however that such a change would have a major
effect on the current ethos of the university, the career planning
of young researchers and the attractiveness of PhD studies. Some
of these issues are addressed in following sections. Change such as
we suggest would need to be accompanied by much greater clarity
about career pathways for young researchers and academics.
b) The timing of the PhD
64. Across much of the University, the average age for PhD graduation
is between 30 and 40, although this varies considerably for different
subject areas. This compares poorly with many other countries
in Europe and beyond where PhD graduation commonly occurs
between the ages of 27 and 30, or even earlier. This has serious implications.
Firstly there is a tendency for PhD studies to be largely
undertaken by those with the desire to become full-time academics,
rather than also being a route for a significant cohort who seek
employment in business and non-academic fields. Secondly, it has
serious implications for the recommendation in paragraph 55.
65. It is increasingly important in a modern knowledge economy that
interactions between the knowledge base in the universities and the
demand for innovation in business and society are strengthened.
PhD graduates are one of the most important links between the
university research base and knowledge intensive companies. They
are aware of leading edge concepts in their field, they bring knowledge
of the laboratories that they have recently left, and are ideal
links between their company’s market interests and the capabilities
of the university research base. They are often crucial agents in the
innovation system. In the US for example, 80% of PhD graduates
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
BOX 1.
Academic/Research Positions in Swedish Universities
Mainline academic posts
• Professor (permanent) – appointed through recruitment
or promotion (promotion is a right)
• Lecturer [Lector] (permanent)
– new recruitment or promotion (promotion is a right)
• Research Fellow [Forskarassistent]
– strictly 4-year position, mainly research
• Assistant Lecturer [Biträdande lector] – strictly 4-year-position,
after evaluation, may become permanent
• Teacher [Adjunct] – permanent (promotion is a right)
Other teaching posts
• Guest Teacher/Guest Professor
• Adjunct Professor
Other Research Positions
• PhD student – a four year position – external or faculty funding
• Post-doctoral researchers – only supported by external funds
– stipends or short-term contracts
• Researcher [Forskare] – only supported by external funds
– must be permanent after two years
• Research engineer [Forskningsingenjör]
– normally a permanent position
work in industry, and are powerful vectors for interactions that
power the US innovation process. If PhD graduates are to play a
role similar to those in the USA, and if Lund is therefore to attract
PhD students that see their future outside the University, the age of
PhD graduation must be brought down.
66. The average age of PhD graduation in Lund tends to coincide with
the age of child-bearing, which is typically in the mid to late 30s
amongst professional classes, and is a time when new parents are
loath to be highly mobile. It seems to us therefore that the current
choice to undertake PhD studies is only rational if the objective is
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
ultimately to enter the academic profession and there is a strong
probability that PhD completion will sooner or later lead on to a
tenured academic post. This system of late PhD completion not
only militates against the PhD being a route into professional
employment outside the university, but it also creates a cohort of
expectant PhD graduates who take up a succession of short-term
contracts in Lund whilst waiting for a permanent post to turn
up. At the same time, the links with their supervisors or research
group leaders and the responsibility their departments naturally
feel towards them tend to ensure that entry into tenured posts is
predominantly from this group. The system also deters young postdoctoral
researchers from taking the opportunity for international
experience at a time in their careers when they could most benefit
from it, although many take such opportunities during their PhD
studies.
67. Although we recognise the difficulty of compressing the timescale
for study leading to doctoral graduation, we believe that there are
very strong structural reasons for doing so, and also suggest that
this should be done in association with much clearer pathways for
research and academic careers, that also take into account the issues
raised in section F2b. Graduate Schools, some organised at national
level, have proved elsewhere to be an effective means of shortening
the time required for completion of a doctoral thesis, and can also
create collaboration between different research centres and cultures.
c) Professorial promotions
68. Recently introduced legislation permits holders of lecturer posts
to apply for promotion to professor (see Box 1). We were informed
that failure to gain a professorial promotion could be challenged
by appeal to Stockholm, and that such appeals rarely failed. We
understand that a consequence of this is that the University tends to
accept many applications that might elsewhere be deemed premature.
We are concerned about the lack of a competitive system for
professorial appointment, with internationally competitive research
or scholarship as key criteria for promotion, and which creates
a crucial incentive for excellent research, scholarship and grant
winning. The motivation to introduce the current system might
have been laudable, but it seems to us that that the consequences
have been negative for the quality and competitiveness of research.
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d) The make-up of academic salaries
69. As an increasing proportion of the funding for research has come
from research grants rather through the core funding of the university,
a pattern has developed whereby the offer of new posts tends to
be associated with an imperative for the appointee to derive a large
proportion of their salary from external research grant funding. In
one example, we found that only 3 out of 13 professors were funded
by the University. This is highly undesirable. It skews the role of the
University in hiring senior staff and has an adverse effect on hiring
the very best staff. No private company would contemplate such a
system. The University should address this problem urgently. In the
international market for talented researchers, such posts are highly
unattractive, and uncompetitive compared with those offered in
many other countries. It drastically limits the capacity of the University
to exploit the pool of international talent.
70. It would be of great benefit to the University in attracting the best talents
and removing corrosive uncertainties if it could move to a system
whereby it simply offers tenured posts at full salary at the point of entry.
We recognise however that this system, which undermines the competitiveness
of Swedish universities, has arisen because of the progressive
process of reduction in the core funding of research in universities and
its reallocation through competitive research council grants. Whilst
competition for research funding is to be welcomed, the shift has a
debilitating effect on the talent available to the Swedish public research
base compared with its international competitors. It also reduces the
strategic creativity of the university as discussed in section H6.
71. If the trend of reduced core funding, which we understand has also
been accompanied by a real terms reduction in the public funding
of research, cannot be reversed, it is important that the University
should do what it can to reduce the damaging impact of the system.
It could choose to accept a greater financial risk by simply offering
fully funded posts at the point of entry into permanent positions,
but with funding continuing to come from a combination of the
University’s core income and external research contracts. Provided
that research grant funding continued at the same high level, the
university’s coffers could simply be replenished from this latter
income without any reference to a need to find a large part of the
academic salary from external sources.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
72. We have heard a partial justification for this system as providing
an incentive for staff to seek research grants. We see no reason or
justification for this type of incentive, particularly when it has such
negative consequences. In other university or institute systems, the
challenge of international competition in research and the thirst for
new knowledge is incentive enough 2 , and is generally coupled with
the healthier incentive offered by competitive promotion (see F2c).
There is no reason why it should not also be true in Lund. Moreover,
if this and the suggestion in section F1 were implemented, the
increased quality of staff should lead to greater success in winning
research funds.
d) Research and teaching loads
73. The pattern of teaching loads and research opportunities in many
parts of the University gave us cause for concern. In several areas,
young academics bear a disproportionate part of the load, at an
age when they should be encouraged and given the opportunity to
develop their research careers.
74. We have a further concern about the habit of joint funding for
academic posts, where academics are able to buy themselves out of
teaching using research funds that they have won. This not only
carries the possibility that education is seen as a less important activity
than research, or that research and teaching become detached,
but also has the potential to waste human resources. Those early in
their careers who fail to bring in research funding tend to bear an
increasing teaching load, which may continue to inhibit their future
capacity to win research funding.
75. We suggest that a more equitable distribution of teaching loads
would be beneficial, although not one driven by formula, but by intelligent
judgement on the part of a head of department concerned
with the career development of staff. The opportunity for the young
2. We offer an example of a system of incentives at INRIA (a French national engineering
laboratory), which is also typical of many other university institutions in Europe and
beyond. Despite the fact that all positions at INRIA are tenured (including young scientists),
INRIA has managed to motivate its faculty to seek external funding. Incentives are twofold:
firstly, grant income is a criterion for promotion, which is open and competitive; and
secondly, external, funded cooperation, particularly with business, is a university strategic
priority and a criterion for promotion and salary enhancement.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
to develop their research, or for a more seasoned academic to mine
a particularly rich vein of research or to develop productive external
engagement, all merit adjustments of teaching loads.
e) Mentoring
76. The process of ensuring that the distribution of departmental and
university roles and duties is consistent with individual career
development and the action of the department as a harmonious
team can be greatly aided by a system of mentoring, in which
departmental needs and individual aspirations are reconciled. In a
small department, this can be done by the Head. In a large one, a
team of senior staff can be used.
F3. Strategy development
77. An effective modern university, particularly one committed to high
standards of international excellence in research, needs the capacity
to enunciate, share and implement a strategic vision for its future,
whilst maintaining the internal freedom and autonomy for academics
and students that is the ultimate source of the university’s
strength. Not only does the Vice Chancellor’s immediate team
require that strategic grasp, but it also needs to be shared by Deans,
Heads of Department (HoDs) and the members of the University.
Equally important, Heads of Department and Deans also need to
be involved in the creation and transmission upwards of strategic
options that are the outcome of the activities of their academic
colleagues and students.
78. Departments need to respond to the shifting research agenda
in their discipline, the distinctive opportunities that their own
research may have revealed, the opportunities for new knowledge
that might arise through collaboration with other disciplines, and
the shifting pattern of interest and demand for education from
students and employers. There must be means of transmitting
these opportunities and options upwards, and a response from
higher levels within the university about if, and how they can be
accommodated within faculty and university planning. The worst
approach is simply a slavish adherence to a traditional pattern of
activity. There is resistance in some departments to anything other
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
than a “bottom-up” approach to strategy. A top-down component
of planning is however vital. Without it, major opportunities and
efficient ways of utilizing resources can be missed.
79. Some departments are very creative in strategy formulation, either
through an energetic head who confers and communicates well
with colleagues, or through an effective tradition of debate where
the head acts as chair. There are others however where we were
not aware of strategic thinking about priorities. This view was
strengthened by the fact that many of the individual self-assessments
presented to us lacked a well-formulated view of the future
plans of the units involved. We suggest that the university’s capacity
for strategic thinking and planning could be enhanced in the two
following ways.
80. In some departments, heads appear to be so overburdened by
routine management tasks that time for dispassionate analysis or
promotion of strategic options is rarely available. In these cases we
suspect that many Heads of Department undertake their roles without
enthusiasm because it is “their turn”. It important that such an
ethos is overturned. HoDs and Deans have an important strategic
role, and they should be enabled to undertake it by stripping them
of many routine tasks. The University should consider developing
a larger cohort of professional managers to do these tasks. It would
not increase the amount of administration, merely make it more
efficiently progressed through a division of labour and by freeing
senior academics to undertake what they do best.
81. At a University level, we were not made aware of any formal topdown/bottom-up
process to ensure that the University’s medium
term plans are appropriately formulated and efficiently implemented.
If this does not yet exist, we suggest that the University’s response
to this review could be the occasion to develop such a process. This
could then be rolled forward through an annual planning cycle.
F4. Doctoral studies
82. In general the proportion of PhD students compared with other
research staff is small in comparison with universities that score
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
highly in the international research league. In such institutions,
PhD students play an important role in developing the diversity of
the research effort, exploring novel avenues and as means whereby
research-based understanding finds its way into society. There are
some departments where there have been no new PhD students
for several years. It is important that the University, its faculties
and departments, adopt an increase in PhD student numbers as a
priority for strategy, and seek means of funding them. It is also important
to recognise, given the limited capacity of the University to
absorb PhD graduates into its permanent staff, and the importance
of mechanisms that lead to an increase in non-Lund appointees
to these posts, that an increased flux of PhD students into the
University should be encouraged, on attaining their degrees, to seek
employment in society beyond the University. This would require
the issues in section F2b to be addressed.
F5. Translational processes
83. There are many processes through which knowledge created within
the university, or derived from the international networks of which
it is part, finds its way into application in society: through the
annual wave of graduates passing into society, through published
research, through informal contacts between researchers and users,
etc. But it is also important that there are more focussed, managed
processes through which the university responds to societal,
economic and business needs. At its most powerful, this consists of
drawing on fundamental understanding of processes and properties
to address specific needs, whether it is the application of new technology
in business innovation or the development of public policy
or practice.
84. In developing the application of new science and technology for
example, the University of Lund is well positioned to develop a
three-tier approach. We suggest that the University should consider
forming a consortium or centre based on the basic sciences (physics
and chemistry) together with the Engineering College (LTH)
to actively pursue and develop novel innovation and technology.
Although this occurs naturally to a certain extent, a formal organization,
with the current strength of the Physics Department and
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
LHT, could considerably enhance productivity and place Lund in
a powerful position. External funding in Sweden seems to be based
on a dual strategy, with basic research (in the academy) getting
about 20% and applied R&D (in industry) getting about 80%.
Typically, some of these latter funds are then sub-contracted to
the Universities to provide research to industry. It seems to us that
Lund is less successful in this latter activity than it should be, and
that a consortium/centre would not only improve its capacity to win
a larger share of the available funding from industry, but could also
be a direct contender for applied R&D external funding. In such an
enterprise, an advisory board with external representation from industry
and academia could be of great benefit in global networking/
funding, strategic planning, and overseeing the long-range function
of a consortium/centre.
85. It is also important to recognise that the translation of new
knowledge and understanding into society refers to more than the
creation of immediate economic value. New knowledge from the
University is also important for the development of public policy,
professional practice and production and performance in the
creative arts, regionally, nationally and internationally.
86. There is a balance to be struck between the creation of new fundamental
knowledge that is universally relevant and that which
addresses specific regional and national issues and which often
require strong engagement with external bodies and groups. Although
these approaches tend to reinforce each other, they do need
to be kept in an appropriate balance. They are some areas of the
university where concerns are excessively regional and parochial,
and need to be balanced by a broader view. Equally, there are some
areas where the perspective is exclusively general or universal, but
where a focus on regional application could bring regional benefit.
It is also important that younger staff are mentored to understand
how they might best develop their research portfolio in relation to
these contrasting imperatives, and be given clear signals about the
relative value that the University places on them.
87. We also regard it as an important part of the responsibility of a
powerful research-intensive university such as Lund to use its capacities
to support the enhancement of education, research and the
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
application of research to practical problems in developing countries.
This is most readily done through close collaboration with their
universities and other agencies. We recognise however that the
increasing use of targeted funding at the expense of unrestricted
funds, and the need to prioritise grant winning to meet universities’
salary bills, has diminished their flexibility to address such issues.
We have referred to negative impact of this system in section F2d
and do so again in section H6 in relation to the University’s overall
strategic flexibility.
F6. The size and nature of university units
88. In an era when many of the questions being asked of and by the
research community increasingly transgress disciplinary boundaries,
when many of the advances in research occur at disciplinary interfaces,
and when the rate of advance of knowledge is arguably greater
than ever, academic units that span a wide disciplinary range offer
great flexibility by permitting the research effort to be perennially
re-configured to address these challenges without the need for the
creation of new departments. Such large units can also offer the
opportunity for small, successful research efforts to grow rapidly;
an opportunity that is often denied them if they are isolated small
departments. Lund University has adapted to these imperatives in
the last decade by combining pre-existing units in larger groupings.
89. This is not however a general prescription. Where a department is
successfully mining a rich vein of research opportunities that keep
it at the international cutting edge, such changes can be damaging
distractions.
90. We have not therefore systematically sought to identify possible
reconfigurations of departmental boundaries. We have however
suggested, in the Panel reports in Annex 1, where we believe that
departmental re-structuring can open up new opportunities in
research. We have also suggested a number of areas where greater
integration of infrastructural support can bring benefit. For
example, Panel 11 (Medicine/Health Sciences) has suggested that
greater integration of infrastructure in multiple research areas could
be highly beneficial, and that there may be opportunities to build-
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
up structures in Lund that could play a coordinating national role,
for example in nursing sciences.
F7. Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
91. Lund University places special emphasis on increasing the number
of women in professorial and higher administrative positions.
Although some success has been achieved, with the percentage
of women in such positions being comparable or higher than in
many universities in North America and Western Europe, the
proportions remain low, particularly in the mathematical, physical
and engineering sciences where proportions fluctuate around 10%
(higher than that in American universities). In view of the limited
success attained by the University’s strenuous efforts to support
women’s careers, panels were asked to comment on how they
thought improvements could be made. This section summarises
our suggestions.
92 It is particularly surprising that the proportion of women in senior
posts is so relatively low in view of the strength of child care
infrastructure in Sweden, that many would consider to as an ideal
precondition for effective involvement of women in the work force
(government supported child care programmes, paternity leave options,
child support etc). A number of options for action emerged in
discussion with women scientists and administrators. They are by no
means an authoritative response to an issue that continues to plague
institutions worldwide, and should be taken as food for thought based
on cursory observations, with the possibility that we have misunderstood
essential cultural and social issues that influence it.
a) Job insecurities
93. The relative insecurity of the early years of academic careers (see
section F2), when many post-doctoral researchers are waiting for
academic posts to become open, where a large part of salary tends to
depend on winning external grants, and when posts could in principle
be lost if such funding fails, may disproportionately effect women.
It tends to coincide with child-bearing years, when women are faced
with the decision of whether to have a family or to devote themselves
fully to academic achievement and job security. Thus, despite the
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
supportive infrastructure for child care, the Swedish academic scene
is not conducive to junior women faculty. (American academia is
not known for its sensitivity to gender issues, but even there, there
is job security once tenure is achieved. Moreover, the tenure clock is
nowadays held back if children are born during the tenure-earning
period). Some women we talked to had held research cum teaching
positions for over 10 years without apparent prospect of a permanent
post. A process that in some countries (e.g. UK), is severely discouraged.
Several felt burdened by family needs and did not think that
they were serving as good role models for junior women.
94. We echo our previous recommendation (section F2d) that the
University should move to a system in which basic funding for a
staff positions is stable and independent of fluctuations in funds
from external agencies; that there should be a clear point of entry
to faculty positions (section F2a); that those who fail this hurdle
should not be maintained on perennial, short term, temporary
contracts; and that there should be flexibility in the probationary
period in the event of child birth.
b) Paternity Leave Issues
95. While the rest of the world looks at the paternity leave policies in
Nordic countries with awe and envy, it is interesting to note that
it may affect women’s careers in unintended ways. It appears that
even though men also partake in this activity, women are expected
to take care of the child in the first year. Usually women take
6-12 months leave from their job, which may be too long a break
in research careers. It was not clear why women could not come
back to work on a flexible time basis sooner after the baby’s birth.
Apparently, it is not done and child care for only a few hours is not
possible to arrange for an infant. This is a societal issue and could
be handled with some planning and cooperation. Women should
be able to get back to research and scientific interactions even while
taking care of a baby. There are a number of models that could be
adopted, as deemed fit, on an individual basis.
96. We recommend that academic units, and the University, should facilitate
continued scientific engagement of women who have infants
by being supportive and providing a child friendly environment and
infrastructure. Flexible working conditions and timings would be
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
very helpful in keeping women engaged in both career advancement
and child raising.
c) Role Models and Mentoring
97. Role models can be very influential. Female students are particularly
inclined to emulate successful female academics. A good example
is the number of female students who choose to work with women
as thesis advisors. In the early years of a scientific career, support
from established academics is particularly important. Heads of department
are, because of their roles in the recruitment process, well
placed to ensure pro-active measures that encourage applications for
professorial posts by highly qualified women academics.
98. Another useful process could be for departments systematically to
invite excellent, high profile female academics to give lectures or
seminars, or to spend a sabbatical period in Lund. There could also
be continual, systematic, well-prepared and well-resourced mentoring
programmes could offer ideas and strategies for enhancing the
image, stature, and competitiveness of junior women in academics
on a permanent basis. We would add that the Lund Gender Studies
Department is very well placed to analyse the reasons for and processes
to remove the “glass ceiling” effect for women academics. It
would not only benefit Lund and Sweden, but the many institutions
world-wide that are struggling with this issue.
F8. The University website
99. A high quality website that is internationally accessible, that is to
say, has an English version, is vital for an internationally facing
university such as Lund. For example, the absence of a comprehensive
English web presence robbed many of the panels of a facility
that they would normally expect to exploit in an assessment such as
they have just undertaken. Its utility cannot be underestimated in
attracting students, in attracting staff, and in fostering collaboration
with international researchers and businesses. It should be a high
priority for improvement by the University.
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G. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE REVIEW PROCESSES
100. The current intention of the University is that a review process
analogous to that undertaken in 2008 should become a regular
event. Its purpose would be to subject Lund’s development as a
research-intensive university to rigorous testing against international
standards and to inform its strategic planning at all levels.
Moreover, it is anticipated that a form of regular review will be
instituted at national level at some time in the near future. We
therefore offer the following comments about how future reviews
might be carried out, in view of the reviewers’ experiences in 2008,
and also add comments that might be helpful to those who could be
tasked to plan a national review scheme.
101. Although we are aware of three major reviews that have been
undertaken at Scandinavian universities in recent years, at the
Universities of Helsinki, Oulu and Uppsala, the panels have
avoided scrutinising these reviews as models for their approach, to
ensure that the review fits the circumstances in Lund. We understand
however that the internal planning group for the review took
the experiences of those other reviews into account in planning the
structure of the Lund exercise.
G1. The utility of the review to the University
102. The utility of the review to the central management of the University
will depend upon the way in which they use it to inform future
planning and decisions. We have asked, and they have agreed, that
they will report back within a year to the review group about ways
in which the outcome of the review has been used in future planning.
Any group planning a national review might wish to discuss
with the University management how review outcomes have been
useful to the university in strategic planning.
103. In meetings with faculties, departments and other research groupings,
and their deans, heads and leaders, reviewers asked about the
degree to which the review process had been a net burden or net
benefit to them. A common response was that although the review
had been initially unwelcome as an additional imposition, the
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
process of self-review had been enlightening, giving them in many
cases a fresh perspective on their activities and opportunities, and
that the net balance of the process was positive. It suggests that it
would be helpful to the University, in planning future reviews and
instructive to reviewers and others, if faculties and their component
units were able to comment on the value of the final report, and
ways in which the final report could have been of greater value.
G2. The frequency of future reviews
104. There is a balance to be struck between reviews that are so frequent
that they impose an excessive cumulative burden on staff and where
the inter-review period is too short for strategic change to occur,
and so infrequent that their role in monitoring and stimulating
change is undermined. We suggest that a 6-year period would strike
the correct balance, rather than the 5-year period currently proposed
by the University.
G3. The process of review
105. We believe that there is considerable value in the dual imperative
in our terms of reference for both research assessment and strategic
evaluation. We recommend that the University persists with this
twin track approach, although in coming years, as its strategic grasp
and direction evolve, it may be able to frame the review in such a
way as minimise internal disruption.
106. There are a number of improvements that we suggest for future
reviews:
a) Many panels commented on the impossibility of “de-personalising”
their review of the research effort in the way requested
in the initial documentation. The research performance of a
university reflects the aggregate efforts of individuals, and in
many cases, specific individuals play key roles. Although we
were asked to avoid assessment at this level, it was generally
found to be impossible to avoid.
b) It would have been helpful to have bibliometric reports provided
before and not after the Lund visitation.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
c) Particularly in areas where electronic access to published work
is difficult (particularly the arts and humanities), a lay-out of
published work in relevant departments during the site visit
would have been helpful
d) It would have been helpful to have more in-depth meetings with
researchers and departmental and faculty leaders, which could
be more effectively done by a visit to Lund by all panel members
(rather than panel meetings being held away from Lund).
e) Teaching and research are intimately related in their demands
on staff time, on the vitality of particular areas, which is often
conditioned by the contributions from different income sources,
in the role of research in education, and in the fact that the most
powerful vector whereby research understanding passes into society
is through university graduates. Departmental self-reviews
should therefore also analyse the teaching-research relationship.
107. We therefore suggest the following process for future reviews:
Step 1: Initial documentation to individual panels should comprise:
the terms of reference for the review, self-evaluations
at departmental and faculty levels (including the approach
to teaching as well as research), listing of all faculty
members, the university strategic plan, the report of the
preceding review, bibliometric analyses, details of grants
and publication, and collaboration.
Step 2: Collation of interim reports from panels that also identify
issues for the site visit.
Step 3: 3-day site visit including all panel members for discussions
with staff in the units of assessment (including
lay-out of published material in fields where materials are
not electronically available).
Step 4: 2-day continuation of the site visit involving only chairs
and vice chairs of panels to integrate their conclusions,
address cross-cutting issues, give preliminary verbal
feedback, and plan collation of the final report.
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H. NATIONAL ISSUES THAT INFLUENCE
THE QUALITY AND IMPACT OF RESEARCH
108. The membership of the review group embodies a wide range of
international excellence and experience: at the leading edge of
research, in university governance, in national and international
policy for research and universities. In view of this, it was felt
appropriate to offer comments from this international perspective
on issues that effect the performance of Lund University but which
tend to be beyond its capacity to control, as they reflect national
traditions, processes and regulations. We first highlight some
crucial issues for universities in H1–H3, and H4–H7 go on to
discuss national processes in Sweden that influence the efficiency
and excellence of research.
H1. The changing international setting
109. The international and national environments in which universities
operate have changed considerably in recent decades. They now
educate a large proportion of the rising generation in addition to
those of more mature years who increasingly join them as students.
In the world of globalisation, universities are regarded as crucial
national assets. Governments worldwide see them as vital agents
of the knowledge economy and, in many countries, they are the
dominant component of the national, publicly funded research
base.
110. However, the diversity of roles expected of universities (see paragraph
1) is now greater than can be efficiently discharged by any single
institution, such that a functionally diverse spectrum of institutions is
increasingly seen as necessary in a national higher education system.
Lund University occupies one part of that spectrum, as a comprehensive,
research-intensive university that competes with the world’s best.
In a modern knowledge-based economy, where the competition to
be locations for economic, social and cultural creativity and impact
in a rapidly changing world becomes stronger, such universities have
pivotal roles. They are: to be a magnet for the best international
talents; in maintaining and developing the national research base;
in creating new knowledge; in importing new knowledge no-matter
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
where it originates; as welcome members of international research
networks that operate at the research frontiers; and by ensuring
that relevant novel concepts are translated into utility through their
links with business and those responsible for public policy. The annual
flux of skilled graduates armed with these capacities continually
refreshes society’s technical excellence and its economic, social and
cultural vitality, and is crucial to its capacity to take bold, imaginative
and principled action in the face of an uncertain future, rather than
cowering in fear of it. The Universities’ role is not only to respond
to immediate national priorities but also to develop the ideas and
capacities that an unknown future will require. The environment
that they help to create is a powerful attractor for increasingly mobile,
research-intensive international companies.
H2. The cross-disciplinary imperative
111. Many of the major issues for modern society, such as climate
change, food security, ageing, the application of new genetic
technologies, migration, and cross-cultural relations require new
understanding based on integration of approaches from the different
disciplines that form the framework of modern understanding.
Research-intensive, comprehensive universities have a fundamental
role to play in this. They are unique amongst human institutions
in the range of knowledge they encompass. As a consequence, they
have the potential rapidly to re-structure and re-combine their skills
in novel ways to address not only these cross-disciplinary issues,
but also to explore new, unexpected avenues of understanding. As
the pace of un-anticipated discovery and the urgency of demand
increase, this capacity is increasingly vital. Although much has been
made of the need to develop and maintain critical mass in research,
the critical diversity required to confront challenges as they arise
or to create novel combinations of researchers to address evolving
trans-disciplinary demands is often more important. Comprehensive
universities are, par excellence, the crucial locations for this
diversity.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
H3. The humanities and social sciences
112. At this point we wish to underline the role in a university such as
Lund of the humanities and social sciences, as government policies
for universities, particularly in research, too frequently concentrate
on science, technology and medicine, with a perfunctory nod
towards the humanities and social sciences that implicitly undervalues
their importance for society. There is an implicit notion that
the understanding they confer is less important than that loosely
termed “science”, although natural scientists themselves rarely take
that view.
113. Research in the humanities and social sciences is concerned with
issues that are essential to stability, good order, creativity and
inspiration in society. In these disciplines are gathered the thinking,
learning, and explanation of what binds and what separates human
beings. They seek not only to understand and make accessible that
extraordinary intensity and complexity of beauty by which humans
specify themselves in the merging of thought, emotion and expression
– a high enough mission by any standard. More important
for our purpose, they provide understanding of why and how we
express differently our common characteristics of being, as well as
how we differ as individuals, groups and cultures. History – and
none more so than recent and contemporary history – demonstrates
how supremely important the dissemination of that understanding
is to stable and healthy societies. Globalisation, especially
in its effects of instantly accessible worldwide information, and
increasingly mobile populations, has created political complexity
by bringing once distant cultural assumptions into close proximity,
and makes the latter an ever more pressing necessity.
114. They contribute decisively to today’s recognition that modern
society depends on the whole range and interconnectedness of
knowledge rather than on a few academic disciplines. They make
an increasingly effective practical contribution, together with other
disciplines, to the creation of public policy. Many major contemporary
issues, the introduction of novel and disruptive technologies,
policies for health, education and penal reform, the consequences of
climate change and the development of new energy systems require
engagement across the whole disciplinary spectrum if they are to
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
be rationally addressed. Moreover, it is increasingly recognised that
the “creative industries” contribute far more to GNP than has been
hitherto supposed. It is for these reasons that national processes that
have the capacity to maintain the contributions of the humanities
and social sciences are given due consideration.
H4. Attracting the best international talent
115. We have been dismayed by the extent to which the processes
of appointment, promotion and funding militate against the
University’s capacity to recruit from the international pool of talent
and minimise the extent to which young post-doctoral researchers
in particular feel free to obtain vital, formative experience in the
international research community. This appears not to be a problem
exclusive to Lund University, but a feature of the Swedish University
system as a whole. As the international research community
becomes better networked, as it increasingly works together on
major international issues and programmes, and as the nascent
European Research Area takes shape, with its proper emphasis on
researcher mobility, national processes that inhibit mobility are
becoming a national disadvantage.
116. We have highlighted the processes that contribute to this state of
affairs in sections F1–F3 above. The key issues at a national level
are the make up of academic salaries and the legal framework for
promotion. We refer to the former again in G6 below. The legal
framework for promotion to professorial status is one that we
believe diminishes the competitive pressures that stimulate excellence.
We suggest that a national review of the consequences of the
relevant legislation would be very timely.
H5. The role of the first degree
and career structures
117. Although we have not seen data that would clarify this point,
our experience in Lund suggests that there are broad patterns of
expectation from those undertaking bachelor’s and doctor’s degrees
that may be worthy of further consideration. In many areas of
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
bachelor’s study, the pattern of student demand appears to represent
a perception of their immediate relevance to graduate employment
that may be misguided. We suggest that the principal purpose of
the bachelor’s degree is not to be a vocational qualification, except
in areas such as engineering or clinical medicine, but as an advanced
education through the means of a subject that the student cares
about. This is the means whereby the qualities prized by employers,
of analytic thought, capacity to communicate and to work in
teams, are most readily developed. We suspect that too ready an
association of a first degree with a particular profession may underlie
the decline in student choice for parts of the humanities, which,
because of falling income from student numbers, also undermines
research potential. This is a trend that is the reverse of that found
in many other western countries, for example in the UK, where the
first degree is not generally regarded as a vocational training.
118. Another distinctive pattern of concern is that the PhD route appears
to be dominated by those who aspire to permanent university
posts, with very few going into business or the public services.
This contrasts strikingly, for example, with the USA, where a large
proportion of PhD graduates, particularly but not exclusively in
science, engineering and technology, enter industry, particularly
high technology industry. This is not only a means of bringing new
research-based ideas into industry, but it perennially re-invigorates
the university-industry connection, much to the benefit of business
innovation. We advocate the introduction of processes that stimulate
awareness, enthusiasm and support for such a route. If this
were to be a priority, it would also be necessary to address the slow
progress to the PhD degree analysed in section F2b, that is typical
of many disciplines in Lund and in Sweden more generally.
H6. University Strategic flexibility
119. The routes by which government funding reaches Universities
have a major impact on their strategic flexibility. The shift in the
proportion of funding from that directly allocated to the University
to that won through submissions to Research Councils, have
diminished the University’s capacity to make its own decisions
about new research initiatives. The system has the advantage that it
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
allocates funding directly to those who will use it, but it has several
dis advantages.
120. It diminishes the University’s capacity to attract the best talents,
as described in sections F1 and F2d. In addition, it means that
innovative research developments in the University are largely
dependent on the pattern of external grant success. Does this matter?
We believe that it does. One of the great advantages of universities,
which embrace a unique range of knowledge compared with any
other institutions, is that they are able to re-combine disciplinary
capacities in novel ways to address cross-disciplinary imperatives,
new unexpected areas of research (see section G2) and issues for
which universities should take responsibility, for example in the field
of international development (e.g. paragraph 82). But they need the
resource and the flexibility to back their own hunches about such
innovations, rather than depending on the pattern of individual
research grants or having to persuade national funding bodies of the
opportunity. In Sweden, the latter is particularly difficult because
of the construction of salaries. Some of the most important and
creative departures in modern research have arisen by universities
exercising their own creativity to generate new research enterprises.
Lund’s creativity in this regard, in difficult financial circumstances,
is exemplified by its Flight Tunnel Facility, which has set a new
international agenda along with new standards for understanding
the dynamics and control of flight, particularly in birds; by CIRCLE
– the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning
Economy focusing on the interrelations between knowledge
creation, innovation, and economic growth which has successfully
competed for large national grants including a Linneus grant; and by
CREATE HEALTH – Strategic Centre for Clinical Cancer Research,
which integrates researchers from Lund University Hospital,
the Faculties of Medical and Natural Sciences and Lund Institute of
Technology in a superbly equipped and integrated ”omics” platform,
concentrated in a single area.
121. The importance of grant funding for the salaries of young researchers
can also encourage young researchers into premature independence
and to create an excessive number of small research groups.
Such groups are vulnerable and rarely create critical mass. This is
particularly noticeable for example in Laboratory Medicine.
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Part 2 – Conclusions of the review
122. We suggest that it would be timely to consider whether the present
situation, where the university tends to act as a “research hotel”,
should be reassessed, to consider whether greater flexibility to act
creatively would stimulate greater vitality in the university research
base in Sweden. The US and UK university systems are arguably
more creative because of such strategic flexibility, and there are
moves throughout Western Europe to change in this direction. 3
H7. National research reviews
123. We understand that there has been discussion about the possibility
of instituting a national research assessment exercise, and offer
some comments in the aftermath of our experience in Lund. Such
assessments may have the function of allocating core funding for
university research, independently of individual, targeted research
grants, or be designed to assess research performance in a way
that is helpful to the university in planning for its future. The UK
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is designed for the former
purpose. The current review of Lund University’s is designed for the
latter. Alternatively, a review may combine both purposes.
124. If our evaluation that the element of core funding of university
research has diminished to a degree that is counter-productive were
accepted, a national research assessment exercise would be a means
of determining how an increased proportion of research funding
could be allocated through this route. At the same time, we are of
the view that an evaluation of the type that we have undertaken is a
valuable adjunct to a university’s strategic development, and that an
assessment designed to inform both funding and strategic planning
would be the optimal route forward. In the long term however,
as strategic planning becomes more systematic and as patterns of
funding become established, we would expect an assessment system
to evolve and become lighter in touch.
3. We have also noted the system whereby a profit-making state-owned company
(Akademiska Hus) leases buildings to the universities, as a form of taxation on funds that
are supplied by the state to support research. We understand the underlying rationale,
but have noted some of the perverse effects that this creates, and which also inhibit the
universities capacity to act in an entrepreneurial fashion.
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Part 3 – ANNEXES
PART 3 – ANNEXES
ANNEX 1 – REPORTS OF REVIEW PANELS
53

Panel 1 – law
PANEL 1 – LAW
CONTENTS
1. Overall Assessment...................................................................................... 54
2. Research Infrastructure................................................................................ 56
3. Research Quality ..........................................................................................61
4. Collaboration.............................................................................................. 68
5. Research Activity and Teaching.................................................................... 72
6. Evaluation of Future Plans............................................................................ 73
7. Future Potentials and Possibilities..................................................................76
8. Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues.......................................................... 79
1. Overall Assessment
According to its Strategic Plan 2007–2011, the Lund Faculty as a research
unit should be Sweden’s best and also counted among the foremost
centres of legal research in Europe. In some areas of law, the Faculty has
already been able to approach the goals of the Strategic Plan. Some of the
research is also internationally recognized.
A clearly positive development in the Faculty has been that more and
more scholarship is published in international languages (mainly
English, but German as well) and on international venues. The present
internationalisation of law requires the internationalisation of legal
scholarship, and the use of other than national languages brings legal
scholarship into the reach of much wider audiences than before. However,
law continues to be also a national phenomenon, and legal scholars
still have specific responsibilities with regard to the national legal culture
and are required to publish in their national languages, too. The Lund
legal scholars have found a functioning balance in their use of different
publishing languages.
The role of legal faculties varies from country to country, and it is difficult
to set up unequivocal international standards for academic legal
scholarship. The Nordic scholarly community is the most natural point
of reference in the assessment of Swedish legal scholarship. The criteria
the Panel has employed in its evaluation derive from their particular
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Panel 1 – law
experience and knowledge of the situation in other Nordic law faculties,
although larger international settings have also been duly considered.
A true problem for the Faculty is its small size, as will be elaborated more
in detail below. Most of the individual disciplines have a staff of only
a few persons. Quality research only thrives amidst sufficient critical
masses: the fewer researchers, the greater the threat that quality drops.
Small units have difficulties also in establishing international networks
and in enticing researchers from abroad.
The problem of size is even further accentuated in disciplines which at
present do not have a tenured, full professor. At present this category
includes, among others, jurisprudence and legal theory, as well as legal
history, which may be said to represent basic research in relation to
positive-law disciplines. This inevitably affects their ability to fulfil the
specific role they have in both legal education and legal research. The fact
that the Department of Legal Sociology is located outside the Faculty
further aggravates the situation.
The many vacancies at the level of tenured professors are related to
choices in personnel policy. In many cases, the Faculty has chosen to wait
for current associate professors to achieve the level at which they can be
promoted to professors. However, it can be argued that only appointments
after open competition can ensure the recruitment of the best
national and international candidates. The policy of promotions may lead
to long vacancies and closed academic careers.
The Panel’s main task has been the evaluation of the quality of research.
The evaluation has been undertaken under considerable time pressure.
The panel held one meeting outside Lund, which not all members were
able to attend, in addition to which the chair and the vice-chair took part
in the site visit at Lund 9–13 June. During this visit, they held discussions
with the dean, as well as with representatives of both senior and junior
researchers.
Below, detailed evaluations, following the division into “teaching
teams” (lärarlag), are presented. On the basis of the detailed motivations
and the grades given to the teaching teams, the Panel has come to the
conclusion that the grade very good describes the average level of the
research. How ever, the panel wants to stress that, as is shown by the
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detailed evaluations, there are considerable differences in scientific output
between the teaching teams, as well as within the teams between the
different subjects. Within the panel, the major discussion concerned the
choice between good and very good. The Panel estimated the general
level of research to be slightly above the average of Nordic law faculties,
which supports the higher grade.
2. Research Infrastructure
2.1. Faculty
The most serious structural problem the Faculty faces is its small size
and the certain granularity ensuing from this. The staff of most of the
individual disciplines consist of only a few researchers – typically one
professor, and one or two associate professors. The problems arising from
the smallness of the Faculty could perhaps partly be remedied by intensified
collaboration between different disciplines within the Faculty and
increased cooperation with nearby universities (for instance, in the form
of the so-called Öresund University). The Faculty has good experiences of
interdisciplinary projects in the past: most notably, the NORMA project
(Normative Development within the Social Dimension from a European
Integration Perspective) which still exists as a research milieu. In order
for such interdisciplinary projects to be possible, the Faculty should have
at its disposal non-earmarked research funds which could be allocated to
cross-disciplinary endeavours, in accordance with the preferences indicated
in the Strategic Plan.
The organisational overlap between the Faculty of Law and the Department
of Law deserves attention. The benefits of two overlapping organizational
units, comprising the same staff and activities, remain unclear.
The teaching teams, operating as basic units in the planning and execution
of teaching, make up for the lack of smaller administrative units.
The teaching teams seem to function in a non-bureaucratic and efficient
way, lending also support to research activities. However, the problem
may be that the teaching teams have not been designed specifically for
research purposes.
The Department of Sociology of Law is located in the Faculty of Social
Sciences and not in the Law Faculty. The Panel recommends that the
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location of sociology of law be reconsidered. Closer collaboration between
the sociology of law and the positive-law disciplines could benefit both
sides, and the inclusion of the sociology of law in the Law Faculty would
strengthen the general jurisprudential disciplines. Commercial law,
currently located in the Business School (LUSEM), should also be (re-)
integrated with the Law Faculty.
Several disciplines in the Faculty lack tenured, full professors. The Faculty
seems to rely on the promotion system and wait for associate professors to
qualify for professorships. The system motivates associate professors and
creates guarantees for a secure academic career. However, it may also turn
into an obstacle to the recruitment of best possible talents in the academic
“market-place” and diminish mobility between universities.
Strategic planning and the setting of emphases in any law faculty have
their limits, because a law faculty has to cover all the fields relevant for
legal education. In line with this, the Strategic Plan of the Faculty states
that all key disciplines should be staffed by at least one full professor.
However, four of these disciplines currently lack a professor: legal theory,
legal history, banking law (a donated chair) and environmental law. This
state of affairs is far from satisfactory.
In addition to the four disciplines mentioned above, there is no professorship
in EU law. This is a conscious choice of the Faculty. The basic
idea is that EU law traverses almost all positive-law disciplines and should
be dealt with in conjunction with the respective norms of domestic law.
This is a defendable argument. However, it can also be maintained that
there are certain general premises and principles of EU law which, in a
dispersed model, do not perhaps receive the attention they deserve. The
same goes for institutional and constitutional issues. In the latter respect,
it should also be noted that constitutional law does not belong to the
strong areas of the Faculty; indeed, there is no professor specialized in
constitutional law, either.
The doctoral training at the Faculty is well-developed, and the training
is networked both at the national and the international level. However,
the small number of the doctoral students is alarming; in fact, there is a
danger that in certain areas the current lack of competent research and
teaching staff will not be remedied in the future, especially if the present
reliance on the closed promotion system continues.
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Great emphasis should be laid on personnel planning. In the near future,
several professors will retire. The Faculty should have a clear policy how
the continuity in the affected disciplines can be ensured.
2.2. Public Law
In comparison to other disciplines in Lund, Public Law has a fair
amount of teachers: the subject of public law two professors and three
other teachers; environmental law one associate professor; social law
two teachers; and taxation law one professor and one other teacher. Five
doctoral students are listed as well, in addition to which two Vietnamese
doctoral candidates have been accepted within the framework of the Swedish/Vietnamese
project on legal education. However, there is no chair in
constitutional law (nor is such a chair envisaged) and, consequently, very
little scholarship in this discipline.
2.3. Private Law I and II (The Social Dimension)
The researchers of Private Law I and Private International Law seem to
work closely together. However, they belong to different teaching teams.
This solution should be reconsidered.
The researchers in Private Law II work in a very integrated way, which
seems to ensure prominent results. They are actively engaged in multidisciplinary
research and in international co-operation, working also as
experts in, for instance, the context of the EU.
The retirement of prominent researchers makes it urgent to ensure that
new professors are recruited in this well-performing area to maintain the
standard achieved.
2.4. Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure
The majority of the professors in the area of Criminal Law and the Law of
Judicial Procedure will retire in the near future, which will probably lead
to considerable changes. The younger criminal law teachers, including
two associate professors, are junior researchers who have completed their
doctorates at Lund. In this respect, continuity seems to be ensured. The
junior researchers have divergent research profiles: gender studies, different
fields of criminal policy, traditional criminal law doctrines, and issues of
international and EU criminal law.
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The situation in procedural law is more alarming: there are only two
professors, one of which will soon retire.
Many of the researchers in criminal law and the law of judicial procedure
have been actively involved in various research projects. Participation
in and the aims of these projects have varied considerably. This can be
attributed to the ways in which research projects are funded today. Some
projects are commissioned, with externally defined research questions;
some are international projects in which professors are only nominally
involved. In some cases, projects have been able to secure partial funding
for junior researchers. The dean has apparently taken part in a large number
of projects as an organiser. One of the teachers has directed a project
financed by the Swedish Insurance Federation, and another has been
actively involved for ten years in the Nordic network “Law and Gender”.
Other Nordic networks are also represented, as well as numerous Swedish
and European research groups.
2.5. International Law
2.5.1. Public International Law
Public international law constitutes a relatively small research unit,
consisting of one full-time and tenured, and one part-time professor,
as well as one tenured associate professor. The part-time professor is
also the director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. However, this link
between the Faculty and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute will be cut
in the near future. The research staff includes five doctoral students
working in Lund and two stationed in Riga. In addition, the professor
of public international law is co-supervisor of two additional doctoral
students. The relative high number of doctoral students may be seen as
reinforcement to research resources. But, on the other hand, supervising
the doctoral students may also be seen as a drain on the senior staff’s
research possibilities.
Co-operation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute adds to the research
resources available in public international law. It is therefore important
that the loosening of the organizational tie between the faculty and the
institute will not endanger the well-functioning cooperation. The library
of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, which is especially rich on human
rights literature, is available also to researchers stationed at the university.
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2.5.2. Private International Law and Comparative Law
In the division into teaching teams, private international law and
comparative law form the unit of international law together with public
international law. However, the researchers of private international law
seem to have closer contacts with substantive private law than with public
international law. In effect, two of the three researchers mostly teach in
the field of private (substantive) law. Comparative law is taught by only
one teacher.
Therefore, one may ask why the teaching teams have been constituted
on a basis which does not reflect the reality of teaching and the needs
of research cooperation. A more natural solution would be a joint
teaching team of private law and private international law. This could
stimulate further research cooperation between these already today close
disciplines.
According to the self-evaluation of the Faculty, “working in research
groups in-house is a relatively new phenomenon”. No such research
groups involving private international law are mentioned. However,
establishing such groups would be important for the future of this branch
of law, with a staff of only three persons.
2.6. Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
The staff in Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law is small, consisting of
one associate professor and one assistant professor, one researcher working
on external funding, two doctoral students and two other doctoral
students with a “double citizenship”, that is, affiliated also to another
discipline. The research unit has been considerably affected by the
retirement of two internationally renowned professors and the subsequent
decease of one of them.
2.7. Legal History
During the period under evaluation, the staff of legal history has included
one tenured professor, emeritus though since June 2007, one associate
professor and one extra associate professor, whose tenure ended after the
spring semester 2004, and four doctoral candidates. At the time of the
writing of this report, one post of associate professor is about to be filled
again, but the discipline has no full professorship. The other associate
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professor is 50 % engaged in the administration of the Faculty’s Vietnam
project. Considering the meagre number of senior researchers, the group
(under the leadership of the now-retired professor) has managed to create
an international atmosphere with wide contacts and networks. This is an
important part of a functioning research infrastructure.
The situation is nevertheless far from satisfactory, considering the fact
that the small group of teachers is responsible for all levels of teaching.
The training and supervision of potential doctoral students is particularly
endangered, given the fact that a full professorship is lacking and that the
discipline has only 1½ senior teachers at its disposal. The lack of senior
posts is not likely to attract new students; thus, in a few years we may be
witnessing a vicious circle of diminishing activity. The Faculty’s strategy
vis-à-vis the discipline of legal history needs to be clarified.
3. Research Quality
3.1. Faculty
According to the Terms of Reference for the evaluation, good means
that the research attracts “mainly national attention but [possesses also]
international potential.” The next grade upwards on the scale is very good,
which refers to research of “such high quality that it attracts wide national
and international attention.” During the period under consideration,
the research at the Lund Faculty has clearly reached at least the level of
good. Considering the performance of certain units, the average grade of
very good is justified. It should noted that the Panel that, in spite of the
performance of individual researchers, certain units have not risen above
the grade good, at least partly due to of their poor resourcing. In order to
receive one of the highest grades, a unit should at least have a permanent
professorial chair.
3.2. Public Law
There is quite a remarkable difference in the level of ambition and
strategy between the general description of the research environment
and activities in Public Law, and the accomplishments of individual
researchers. While a number of researchers have carried out important
scientific work and attained a high profile within their respective areas
of law, Public Law as such seems to be lacking a comprehensive research
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strategy, and the SWOT analysis is rather unbalanced and not very
persuasive.
In tax law, the quality of research seems to be in some instances excellent,
and generally very good. Some researchers are very productive, so that in
that respect, too, the grade would be very good for this area. Relevance of
the tax law research is excellent, if not outstanding, in particular due to the
focus on international aspects and on intersection with other areas of law.
With regard to vitality and organisational capacity, tax law seems to be one
of the Public Law areas best able to conduct integrated and interdisciplinary
projects, and could therefore be considered excellent also in this regard.
The research quality in environmental law is good, as is the overall productivity.
Relevance is very good, for parts of the research even excellent.
Vitality and organisational capacity seem to be good.
EU law research has been published in internationally recognised fora,
which points to its excellent quality. The productivity within the field
seems very good, notwithstanding the limited staff resources allocated to
this area. The relevance of the research is also very good. The vitality factor
is difficult to assess, but this research area may be suffering from limited
resources. Despite the performance of individual researchers, given the
unsatisfactory state of organisation in which EU law finds itself, the
discipline as a whole cannot be given more than good as a grade.
The quality and relevance of research related to the international aspects of
administrative law are excellent, in particular as is reflected in the doctoral
dissertation on cross-border administrative cooperation. The productivity
of the researchers is very good. The vitality could best be graded good,
although more international research contacts should be developed.
A major problem in the public law research is the virtual lack of constitutional
law.
To sum up, the grade for public law is very good.
3.3. Private Law I
The Lund team of Private Law I is strong. This applies to the volume,
quality and relevance of the production of the staff members; domestic
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and international collaboration; teaching arrangements (notably master
programs); and the vision of the future. The important contribution
of the Lund team to legal development cooperation (Vietnam) is to be
emphasized.
The description of current research activities in the field of Private Law
I demonstrates that research productivity has been high during the
evaluation period, taking into account the number of researchers. The
staff and the doctoral candidates have published three doctoral theses,
one new treatise, three new editions of previous treatises, two licentiate
theses, and several articles. The general quality of scholarship is high.
One of the theses has been republished by an international publishing
house, and one of the articles, written by a Lund researcher together
with an American scholar, has been very much downloaded in the USA.
The relevance of the scientific production is also high. Generally speaking,
the books and articles cover most sectors of Private Law I and
deal with modern and topical themes. Competition law and intellectual
property law are especially highlighted, but there also are contributions in
the fields of information technology law and corporation law.
Since the research topics have a predominantly international nature, there
often are comparative aspects included. For example, one doctoral thesis
includes, in accordance with its subtitle, a comparison between the laws
of the EU and the USA.
The grade for Private Law I is very good.
3.4. Private Law II (The Social Dimension)
Private Law with the Social dimension consists of labour law, family law,
related social welfare law and the Norma Research Programme.
The three research elements are integrated through the social dimension.
This approach seems to be an advantage, as it has facilitated interdisciplinary
research.
The area includes the research of 12 individuals: three full professors (1
retired), three associate professors, one senior researcher and five doctoral
students.
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In 2002–2007 seven (out of 39) and in 1996–2007 nine (out of 51)
doctoral degrees were granted in private law with the social dimension
(primarily labour law).
The Norma Research Programme has been an interesting and successful
project, involving one professor, five associate professors, one senior
researcher and four doctoral students. Its purpose has been to study
the topic in depth and from a long-term perspective. The research has
been conducted within a multidisciplinary legal scientific framework.
The research programme has been internationally oriented, with strong
comparative and European integration elements. Many publications are
in English. The programme has its own publication series, but the members
of the team have also – wisely – chosen to publish in internationally
recognised journals. They have participated in a number of European
Commission’s networks of legal experts.
Labour law involves three professors, four associate professors, one senior
researcher and three doctoral students. Research in labour law has to a
large extent been integrated in the Norma Research Programme. Two
main topics have been Flexibility in Service and Discrimination in Employment,
which both are relevant and pertinent issues. In addition, industrial
relations constitutes a stronghold. In labour law, three researchers
have defended their doctoral theses, and one doctoral student is writing
her thesis. Much of the work is of interdisciplinary character, with an
EU or comparative dimension. Gender and law-and-culture approaches
have also played a major role. Some of the researchers are internationally
renowned and have worked at foreign universities as visiting scholars.
Social welfare is also to a large extent integrated in the Norma Research
Programme. The staff consists of one professor, three associate professors
and three doctoral students. Part of it has a quite strong national and
international standing. EU aspects are also present in research on social
security and welfare. A doctoral project looks into parental benefits schemes
and ”the flexibilisation of families”. Another thesis focuses on parents
at work, and includes a gender perspective. A study on family law and its
interplay with social security schemes as well as a number of projects on
different aspects of child law and social law are being carried out. Especially
one researcher is extensively engaged in international activity, both
within the World Congress on Labour Law and Social Security, and the
European Commission’s Networks of Legal Experts.
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The staff of family law consists of only one associate professor and two
doctoral students. A family law thesis focuses on the division of property,
a classic and important family law topic. Child-parent relationship
constitutes a major area in family law research. Research is also carried
out on genetics and family law. A new project on the elderly is planned,
which seems a timely topic of great relevance. Part of the research is of
comparative and interdisciplinary nature, and published in English.
There exists certain integration between family law and social law.
The success of the Norma Programme, in particular, leads to a very positive
evaluation of Private Law II (the Social Dimension). The challenge is,
however, how to replace some key persons, who have deceased or retired.
The grade for Private Law II (the Social Dimension) is excellent.
3.5. Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure
Despite the fact that most of the professors’ and associate professors’ time
goes into basic teaching, four doctoral theses were published in the area of
criminal law and the law of judicial procedure in the period 2003–2007.
At present, there are seven doctoral students working actively on their
theses. The teachers in the area of Criminal Law and the Law of Judicial
Procedure have also been active in writing and publishing articles.
Research in the area has largely been basic legal research, with a traditional
doctrinal approach. However, broader and cross-disciplinary topics
have also been pursued, as in, for example, a thesis, completed in 2004,
which examined sexual violence by discourse analysis methods. Another
thesis published in the same year focused on the criminal liability of
juridical persons, approaching the topic from not only a legal but also
a cultural historical perspective. Such unorthodox methodological
innovations are of course open to criticism. However, they also display a
pioneering spirit and open-mindedness on the part of the Faculty.
Most of the scientific production in the field consists of monograph-style
doctoral theses by individual researchers. As is the case in other Nordic
law faculties, too, the quality of these works varies. However, in Nordic
terms they generally represent a solid standard and also meet international
requirements for the doctorate. What may be criticized is the almost
total lack of empirically-oriented studies with a criminological approach.
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In the last ten years, the research environment in criminal law and the
law of judicial procedure at Lund has become more active and lively. The
best research compares favourably with the accomplishments of other
Nordic law faculties. However, the intensity and scope of research activity
fall behind the best Nordic faculties. Here, again, the small size of the
Lund Faculty plays its role.
The grade for criminal and procedural law is between good and very good.
3.6. International Law
3.6.1. Public International Law
The research staff of Public International Law consists of relatively young
researchers who are only in the process of gaining a position in the
international research community of the discipline. However, in a quite
short time, the researchers, especially the professor of the discipline, have
established renown for innovative and theoretically ambitious research
on highly pertinent topics in public international law. The introduction
of new approaches and theoretically informed insights into the analysis
of doctrinal issues is characteristic for the research. Qualitatively the
research is of high international level, and in quantitative respect, the
output is quite extensive, especially taking into account the other responsibilities,
such as teaching, of the relatively small staff. A clear sign of
the internationally acknowledged level of the research is the publication
of books, authored or edited by members of the staff, by international
publishers, and of articles in international refereed journals. The grading
would be very good (or perhaps even excellent).
3.6.2. Private International Law and Comparative Law
There are very strong sides in the activities of the Lund researchers of
private international law. Notably, the volume of production of the
staff – as regards both study materials and scientific works – is impressive,
and the quality is high. The staff has published two doctoral theses,
two textbooks, two casebooks and a great number of scientific articles.
Furthermore, the staff members are active in international cooperation in
the field of teaching and thesis supervising.
On the other hand, certain deficiencies can also be identified: the staff
members do not belong to in-house research groups (from this point of
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view, the teaching-team division of the Faculty should be revised; see,
above: Research infrastructure), active participation in international
research networks could be intensified and, above all, the staff has no
detailed plan for future research. Since there is an urgent need of research
in the field of international private law and the staff is very competent, a
clear vision of the future and a general research plan should be developed.
The relevance of the scientific production is high. The textbooks generally
cover the field of private international law, and the theses deal with
modern and topical themes, linked with the private-international-law
problems of Internet usage. Both theses under preparation (one of them
partly) are located in the field of international procedural law. This is a
good choice since procedural problems of an international nature are
particularly topical today – as is demonstrated by the on-going legislative
work of the European Union. In both theses, the problems of jurisdiction
are discussed. In the future, other aspect of international procedural law
(enforcement of foreign judgments, international legal assistance) could
also be researched.
Generally, it can be stated that except for textbooks and manuals, the research
of private international law in Lund substantially relies on doctoral
theses. It is positive that these theses are produced but post-doc research
(shortly referred to in the description paper) would be needed as well.
Grading the research of private international law as very good seems
appropriate.
If graded separately, Comparative Law would receive the grade good. The
work of the sole professor teaching the subject would certainly deserve a
higher grade. However, since more resources have not been allocated to
the discipline, a higher grade is hardly possible. A comparative approach
could of course be advanced within other disciplines, too; however, no
great enthusiasm for comparative work seems to prevail in the Faculty.
3.7. Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
The discipline of Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law is clearly undergoing
a transitional period after the retirement of its two professors
of international stature. The professors have still published during
the five-year period under evaluation, and their publications clearly
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contribute favourably to the overall assessment of research outputs. The
other researchers are still in the initial phase of their research career. Their
publications, some of which have appeared in international, refereed context,
are of a good quality but for understandable reasons do not perhaps
yet reach the same level as the products of the previous generation. In
quantitative respect, the already published research of the present staff
is not particularly extensive, probably at least partly due to their other
responsibilities, such as teaching. The grading is very good, if the publications
of the former professors are taken into account, good, if not.
3.8. Legal History
Because of the small staff in Legal History, the present level of research is
not easy to assess at the moment. Only three senior researchers are included
in the evaluation. Of these three, one is now retired, one employed
by a Danish university, while one devotes 50 % of his time to the Vietnam
Project. The general impression is that the level of research varies
and does not, in all cases, quite meet the level of the wide international
networks the Lund legal historians are engaged in. However, some of the
senior researchers have made excellent contributions to books published
by well-known international publishing companies, and the doctoral
students too can display publications. What is still lacking are articles
in the best international journals. Despite the very good or even excellent
performance of certain researchers, and because of the poor state of
resources described above, the overall, average grade is good.
4. Collaboration
4.1. Faculty
The teachers of the Faculty are well connected to the outside world,
both at the national, Nordic and international level. Practically all
teaching teams or disciplines are able to show a wide and credible array
of networks in which they are engaged. The Vietnam Project, involving
teachers of many disciplines, deserves a special mention.
4.2. Public Law
There are quite significant differences between the various sub-areas of
Public Law in terms of collaboration with other research environments.
Some researchers and research areas have well-established network con-
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tacts at national, Nordic, and international level, contributing to fruitful
research activities and to important publications in international fora.
Other researchers could undoubtedly take advantage of extending their
collaborative networks in order to realise the transnational aspects and
potential of their subject areas (see 3.2. above). Furthermore, a general
problem seems to be the absence of collaboration structures between researchers
within constitutional and administrative law, as well as EU law,
and the research activities within Public International Law, apart from ad
hoc collaboration between tax law and migration law (see 4.5.1. below).
4.3. Private Law I and Private Law II (The Social Dimension)
Domestic and international collaboration may be considered as a particularly
strong side of the activities within Private Law I and II. This
collaboration takes many forms.
Firstly, private-law researchers are involved in national and international
networks, some of the latter on a Nordic basis (e.g. foundation law,
maritime law). Exchange of researchers and teaching cooperation can also
be mentioned (see below).
Secondly, the researchers are engaged in advanced multi-disciplinary
cooperation with some other research units of the university. The Department
of Business Law at the School of Economics should be particularly
mentioned. Recently, a joint project of corporate governance has been
launched.
Thirdly, private-law researchers are active in the legal development
project with Vietnam. There is a well-developed exchange of teachers and
researchers, and four Vietnamese doctoral candidates are writing their
theses in Lund.
However, it is slightly surprising that there is no macro-regional cooperation
with the countries of Eastern Central Europe (or with the Baltic
countries). The private-law institutes of Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia
etc. would be quite natural partners for several reasons, and the private
laws of these new EU countries constitute an important object of research.
Private Law II (The Social Dimension) has a strong tradition of collaboration
with various partners. This includes multidisciplinary collaboration
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within the Faculty; collaboration with national partners; activities within
the EU; and international collaboration.
4.4. Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure
Despite the small number of tenured professors and associate professors, the
teaching team of Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure in Lund is very
active in many forms of collaboration. The professors and younger researchers
are working in several international networks and clusters. Practically
all researchers have participated in several Swedish and international
research projects. The co-operation is often of an interdisciplinary nature.
The researchers in Lund have actively organised workshops, seminars,
symposia and conferences. They have also edited scientific publications.
Most of the international co-operation has occurred at the Nordic level,
but there has also been collaboration with German, Dutch and British
research teams.
The staff has been active in the legal development project with Vietnam,
teaching and supervising Vietnamese students and doctoral candidates
both in Lund and in Vietnam. The researchers have also contacts outside
academic life: with courts, other public authorities and NGOs.
4.5. International Law
4.5.1. Public International Law
Within the Faculty, Public International Law collaborates especially
with Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law, in the form of a common,
multi-annual research project on the theme of Use of Force funded
by the faculty. This collaboration attests to the theoretical ambitions,
characteristic for the research within public international law. Within the
field of migration law, there is collaboration with tax law and labour law.
As regards the University as whole, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the
Institution for Peace and Conflict Research and the Institution for Political
Science constitute natural partners of co-operation. What is perhaps
surprising is that within the faculty, there seems to be no co-operation
with the public law disciplines of constitutional or administrative law.
Furthermore, at present there seems to be no ongoing common research
with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
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Public international law is by nature an internationally-oriented discipline
and international networking is a necessary prerequisite for successful
research. Due to the fact that the tenured are still in the beginning of the
careers, it is understandable that they have not yet been able to establish
very extensive international contacts. However, a good start has been
made, with especially good contacts with, in addition to Nordic academic
institutions, Australian institutes and faculties.
4.5.2. Private International Law and Comparative Law
As already pointed out, there is much of collaboration between the
researchers of private international law and private substantive law. As
regards teaching collaboration and collaboration within international
organizations of the field, the situation is excellent. At present, a member
of the staff serves as the president of an international association of the
leading European experts on private international law. He will give the
appreciated General Course on Private International Law at The Hague
Academy of International Law in 2010.
A member of the staff supervises two doctoral theses in other Swedish law
faculties and one in Vietnam.
4.6. Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
Within the faculty, Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law has established
three research clusters with other disciplines (public international law,
procedural law and corporate law). One of the clusters has also received a
considerable amount of external funding. Such collaboration within the
faculty must be regarded as a very positive and promising development.
On the other hand, established collaboration with other faculties and
institutions of the universities seems to be lacking, although by its nature
the discipline is well suited to co-operation with, e.g., the Department of
Philosophy. There is no mention of international partners of co-operation,
either, in spite of the internationally-oriented character of the discipline
and the strong heritage, left by the former professors.
4.7. Legal History
The legal historians at Lund have excellent connections with the outside
world, at both the national, Nordic and international level. The junior
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researchers have benefited from and actively contributed to the REUNA
network of Nordic legal history. They are also busy establishing contacts
of their own. Some of the senior researchers are extremely well connected
with European and even US colleagues through various projects
and networks, such as the European Consortium of State and Church
(Milan), Religion in the 21st century (Copenhagen) and Nordic Legal
Maps in Transition (Lund). National collaboration exists as well. The
well-established international and local, interdisciplinary contacts to the
theologians deserve a special mention.
Many of the projects in which that the Lund historians are involved are of
an interdisciplinary nature, involving colleagues from various branches of
positive law as well as from comparative law, sociology of law and theology.
What is particularly praiseworthy and exemplary is that the seniors
have managed to involve the doctoral students in their networks.
5. Research Activity and Teaching
The Faculty has paid specific attention to researcher training and conducted
an assessment of it in 2004. The assessment came to the conclusion
that researcher training should aim at creating a pool of researchers who
would be qualified applicants for professorial chairs and positions as
university lecturers in the future. This would presuppose a higher amount
of doctoral students, with the consequence of more of the teachers’ time
required for the supervision of them.
The teaching load of some of the associate professors amounts to 80 % of
their total working time. This is evidently too much and leaves practically
no time for meaningful research. Although it is in principle possible to
“buy out” time for research by acquiring external grants, this option is
not available to all concerned.
As regards the substance of undergraduate teaching, the necessity of providing
future lawyers with a comprehensive legal education restricts the
possibility of immediate links between teaching and ongoing research.
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6. Evaluation of Future Plans
6.1. Public Law
Some of the researchers have presented interesting and persuasive future
research projects or plans. The Public Law teaching team as such does
not, however, have a comprehensive strategy for future activities. Thus,
there seem to be no clear strategic choices as regards the relative weight of
the different research areas within Public Law, the relationship between
general administrative law and the specialised branches of administrative
law, and the interaction between (national) public law and public international
law. For example, the present divisions between administrative law
and social welfare law, and between the latter and health law, as well as
the location of these subjects within the teaching teams, are not entirely
logical. The position and the disciplinary integration of research on
“Law and Development” may also need some strategic (re)consideration.
Although the important national commitments of legal research – with
respect to support for both legal education and legal practice – must be
recognised, these commitments too would benefit from clearer strategic
choices.
6.2. Private Law I
The private-law teachers in Lund have a clear vision of the future. According
to the plans presented to the Panel, domestic and international
cooperation will continue in many sectors (foundation law, corporate
governance, intellectual property law, etc.) and with several partners
(Copenhagen Business School, London University, Lund School of
Economics, other law faculties in Sweden, etc.).
As the names of the partners indicate, there are important multidisciplinary
elements in the future research. The corporate governance project
is a good example. In addition to lawyers and business researchers, social
scientists will be involved.
There are also highly interesting ideas waiting for their realization.
Notably, an innovation market project, of a multidisciplinary nature and
with international and developmental elements, could be mentioned.
Unfortunately, the project has recently been shelved due to changes in
Swedish developmental aid policy.
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The number of doctoral candidates is important. The total number of
theses in progress seems to be at least ten (several doctoral candidates
come from Vietnam).
Predominantly, the future research of the team focuses on problems connected
with international business and commerce. Classical property-law
themes are not included.
6.3. Private Law II (The Social Dimension)
Promising fields of future research continue on the line of integrated
research – for instance, the interaction between changing labour
market conditions, sustainable social security systems and new, more
flexible family patterns. Other promising fields are discrimination
in employment, flexicurity and industrial relations. The prospects of
future research are bright: new topics will be introduced and new
perspectives adopted.
6.4. Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure
The researchers in Lund are now specialized in many highly pertinent
topics, such as international criminal law, criminal law in the European
Union, Human Rights, economic crimes, alternative conflict solutions
etc. The researchers are well up-to-date in their research themes.
However, the variety of themes causes problems, too. It seems that team
work is not functioning in research as well as in teaching. Clear vision
and strategy of common future research is lacking. The fragmentation
of the research profiles cannot be remedied only by recruiting more
researchers and teachers. The resources must also be allocated to specific
themes and research groups.
6.5. International Law
6.5.1. Public International Law
Within Public International Law, the topics and themes where the emphasis
of research will lie have been clearly defined, and in most of these
areas, research has already been initiated. These research fields will also
constitute the focus of both local and international co-operation. Such a
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conscious concentration of efforts is particularly important for a relatively
small research unit. All in all, the research strategy to be followed in the
future is clearly defined and articulated.
6.5.2. Private International Law and Comparative Law
According to the Strategic Plan of the Faculty, Comparative Law and
Private International Law should always have at least one professor.
The plans for future research are not developed enough. It is merely
stated that the current professor’s “research focuses at present on the
ongoing Europeanization of PIL” and that the two other staff members
“are presently working on books developing further the subjects of their
respective dissertations”.
It is essential that the staff develop a clear vision of the future research
needs in the field of private international law. The same goes for comparative
law, the future of which seems rather insecure and excessively
dependant on one prominent researcher.
6.6. Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
Obviously because of the current transitional phase, the research strategy
of Jurisprudence and Philosophy of law is not very clearly defined.
However, it can be concluded that in addition to general legal theoretical
and legal philosophical issues, an emphasis is laid on issues of theoretical
or philosophical character which relate to a specific branch of law. The
formation of common research clusters with other disciplines of the
faculty follows such a strategy. Such a strategy, which can be of great
benefit to both partners, deserves support and encouragement.
Because of the limited resources available, a clear definition of the focal
points of research would be needed.
6.7. Legal History
The research strategy is of Lund Legal History is not articulated in the
documents presented to the Panel. Implicitly, however, the legal historians
have aimed at crossing the borders between legal history and other
legal disciplines (such as comparative law) and even other fields (such as
theology). This seems a wise path to continue on.
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7. Future Potentials and Possibilities
7.1. Public Law
See section 6.1. Public Law above.
7.2. Private Law I
Private Law I in Lund has very strong future potentials. There is a competent
staff and numerous doctoral candidates, working on well-chosen
problems. Certainly, one could indicate other problems where more
research would be desirable (like those of property law, mentioned above).
However, one team cannot focus on all possible themes, and the coverage
of the themes chosen by the Lund team is very good.
From the geographical point of view, the coverage is also good. It is
natural that the interest of the researchers concentrates on the EU and
that the USA often constitutes an object of comparison. The researchers
mostly deal with problems which are – or will be – regulated at the level
of the European Union, and of which the USA already has experience.
However, one question could be raised with regard to the geographical
coverage of the research: the European countries of transition economy
are not (explicitly) present in the plans at all. As is well-known, Russia
(like China and India) has a huge potential as a market economy,
and Western research focusing on the development of Russian private
law is very much needed. Certainly, it must be remembered that this
kind of research is actually carried out in other Swedish universities.
In any case, at least co-operation with the countries of Eastern Central
Europe, and research on their private laws, would seem quite natural:
these countries are geographically close to Lund, and they also possess
an important economical potential (notably Poland), as well as old
and developed legal cultures. Furthermore, there are students (even
teachers) in Lund coming from this area and possessing the relevant
language and cultural knowledge. Therefore, one might suggest that
future cooperation partners in the field of private law be also sought
from Poland and other countries of Eastern Central Europe. The same
applies to the Baltic countries. In this way, inter alia, the interesting
question concerning private-law convergence, raised in the Description
Paper, could be analyzed from the perspective of an important region of
Europe.
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The aspect of legal development co-operation is strongly present in the
existing and planned research of the private-law team. It is understandable
that only one partner country, Vietnam, has been chosen.
7.3. Private Law II (The Social Dimension)
In the background documents, the Norma Research Programme is
characterised as ”the most successful research program during the last
decades at the Faculty of Law at Lund”.
The self-evaluation mentions as specific strengths of the team of Private
Law II the focusing on issues which topical are from a political, economical
and societal point of view; the inclusion of both the national, the EU and
the global perspective; a strong multidisciplinary profile; networking and
the ability to attract external funds. The diminishing number of full professors
and the small size of the staff are mentioned the main weaknesses.
Taking into account the quality of the research and its international
dimensions, the potentials seem well founded and the prospects realistic,
provided that sufficient resources are secured.
7.4. Criminal Law and the Law of Procedure
The basic structure of the staff is good. The combination of full professors,
associate professors, senior lecturers and doctoral students is in
balance. However the future prospects of research depend strongly on the
appointments of the professors of the next generation. Criminal Law and
Law of Procedure needs one professor who could focus on directing the
research.
The professors have successfully recruited and tutored several doctoral
candidates and younger researchers. Thus, the possibilities of hiring
young scholars to the research teams are good. The Lund team already
possesses broad multidisciplinary and international contacts, experience
of applying external research funding and ability to organize international
meetings and conferences. In this respect, the infra-structure is
in order. However, the teaching load is clearly draining too much of the
research capacity.
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7.5. International Law
7.5.1. Public International Law
Clearly defined research strategy, which also serves as a focus for local and
international co-operation, constitutes a fruitful basis for future research
within Public International Law. Several promising research projects have
already been launched. Efforts to obtain external research funding are a
promising sign of future success. With additional funding, increased staff
and increased opportunities to concentrate on research, further extension
of co-operation with local and international partners and the enhancement
of the unit’s and its researchers’ international standing, the unit has excellent
possibilities to achieve its ambitious aims.
7.5.2. Private International Law and Comparative Law
It is obvious that the staff members of Private International Law and Comparative
Law represent high know-how in their field. As is well-known, researchers
of substantive private law also deal, to some extent, with problems of
private international law. However, the development of the general doctrines
or allgemeine Lehren of the field (ordre public, immediately applicable rules,
etc.) falls to the specialized researchers of private international law.
In addition, there are important problems of a general nature which are not
included in the general doctrines and which have been practically ignored in
the research of private international law. One example consists of the issue
of languages and translation. In cases of international private law, law courts
normally face this problem: when foreign law should be applied, the original
documents stating the contents of this law are usually written in a foreign
language. The same applies to the execution of foreign judgments.
Important research on legal language and legal translation in general exists
but these problems have been very little, if at all, discussed in connection
with international private law. Deep-going research would be important,
preferably in inter-disciplinary cooperation with linguists. The Lund staff
would be ideal to carry out such research, thanks to their excellent language
knowledge. The same holds for the issues of allgemeine Lehren of
private international law.
Securing the position of comparative law demands conscious measures by
the Faculty. One possible solution would be to strengthen the ties of the
discipline with one of its most natural companions, legal history.
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7.6. Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
The future prospects of research in Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
depend on choices of personnel policy. The discipline is in obvious need
of a tenured professor who could effectively direct the research activities,
procure necessary funding and establish functioning international
contacts. The research of the present staff is interesting and promising
and constitutes a good basis for future success and a continuation of the
obliging traditions of jurisprudence and philosophy of law in Lund. Such
a success, however, also requires determined efforts from the side of the
faculty and university. Within legal scholarship, jurisprudence and legal
philosophy is engaged in basic research, and strong basic research is a
prerequisite for successful research in general.
7.7. Legal History
The strong international contacts of the Lund legal historians, both senior
and junior, constitute their foremost asset. The legal historical conferences
and symposia organised at Lund have benefited not only the legal
historians but other Faculty members as well. These contacts, although
already remarkably well-functioning, are a potential that has not yet been
fully exhausted.
The Legal History unit has been strongly geared towards comparative
approaches and considerations of legal cultures, a path well in tune with
the latest developments and trends in international research. It would
definitely be advisable to continue in this direction, especially since
comparative law as a separate discipline is poorly resourced in the Faculty
and Legal History is the most natural discipline to make up for the lack.
Legal History, however, would need more resources in the form of a
tenured, full professorship.
8. Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
In 2005–2007, eleven doctoral dissertations were defended, ten by male
and only one by a female doctoral student. Judging by the amount of
doctoral students at the moment, the situation is likely to be remedied in
the coming years.
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Most of the law degrees are already taken by female students (for instance,
in 2007 63 % of the graduated were female). However, only three
out of the twelve full professors of the Faculty are women. In the teacher
corps as a whole, the situation is not remarkably more balanced: as of
1.1.2008, 29 % of the teachers at the Faculty were women.
The Faculty has prepared a plan for the years 2008–2009 to address the
gender problem. The plan aims at, among other things, increasing the
number of female teachers. Thus, for example, in the near future three
female part-time guest professors (in labour law, criminal law and legal
history) will be hired.
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PANEL 2 – RELIGIOUS STUDIES
CONTENTS
1. Introduction...............................................................................................81
2. Overall Assessment.....................................................................................81
3. Research Quality........................................................................................ 82
4. Areas of Excellence.................................................................................... 82
5. Resarch Activity and Teaching.................................................................... 82
6. Future Potentials and Possibilities............................................................... 82
7. Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues........................................................ 83
8. Appendix................................................................................................... 83
1. Introduction
In the present stage CTR (Centre of Theology and Religious Studies) is
part of the Faculty of Humanities and Theology with the status of a center.
In 2009 CTR will be transformed into a department of the Faculty of
Humanities and Theology. CTR currently includes the following areas:
History of Religion, Biblical Studies, History of Christianity, Studies in
Faith and Philosophies. CTR has 15 full professors (10 of them senior
p.) and 11 associate professors, 5 assistance professors and 4 assistant
researchers.
CTR is internationally known for excellent exegesis and excellent church
history. The theological profile of the CTR emphasizes the study of theological
notions and practices in the historical settings of the Biblical texts
as well as in the settings that from early on and up until modern times
were decisively influenced by these texts. The profile in Religious studies
is concerned with the roles of religion(s) in western multicultural societies
and their relation to traditional western and non western societies and
religious milieus. A strong focus lies on the study of the religious scene of
the middle East and India.
2. Overall Assessment
The quality of research of CTR ranges from excellent in some units to
good/very good in others.
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3. Research Quality
The research quality corresponds to international standards. In some
disciplines of the unit the research results have attracted international
attention and are at the frontier of research. Several professors of CTR
(especially in the fields of Church History, Biblical Exegesis, and History
of Religion) are internationally well known. So the scale extends from
excellent to good.
4. Areas of Excellence
Research in the areas of the “old” chairs of Biblical Studies, Church
History and Dogmatics is based on a small number, particularly of full
professors, have widespread international reputation and contribute to the
main contemporary theological debates and issues. The standard is very
good/excellent, but there is a lack of the infrastructural support and the
PhD students that would translate this into an outstanding effort and to
create greater impact in current international debates.
5. Research Activity and Teaching
Research activity relates to productivity, international standing and
international activity as well as to dissertations and projects. The productivity
in terms of bibliometry is only on average (as to several professors
with a high or outstanding productivity see the additional remarks). The
number of doctoral dissertations is good/very good (differing between
the disciplines, some excellent disciplines). The existing international
reputation of CTR would be strengthened by publishing in English or
German, especially for doctoral dissertations. The teaching load is too
high and the lack of sabbaticals is a serious handicap in the international
context.
6. Future Potentials and Possibilities
Beside the areas of excellence, which we see as areas of continued potential,
we see very good future potential in the French-Swedish long time
symposium on the issue of religious pluralism and dialogue.
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Panel 2 – religious studies
Potential development areas: There is considerable potential to create a
focus area on the theme of current developments in Islam in the Nordic
countries of Europe and their relations to Islam in the Middle East
(combining major issues in religious studies with Arabic Language and
Culture, especially in the northern regions of India/Pakistan, and special
focus on Indic Religions, Jainism, Sikhism). Such a project would deal
with the central issue of European migration in terms of religious and
cultural identities. Lund is the only Swedish university with the research
infrastructure for this major issue. It would benefit from a chair in
Indic religions and links with the new established chair of interreligious
theology being established in Jerusalem). The University is encouraged
to consider supporting a major bid for EU support, but effective development
of this research area would also need to be supported by new study
programmes, new positions for research and teaching, particularly in
languages as base for PhD research, and cooperation with a university in
the Middle East and/or North India. Such a focus area also would also
make a major contribution to internationalization of the CTR.
We also wonder whether the very good possibilities and chances for
future research in the field of ethics (see the EU financed project in
Biomedicine) in cooperation with philosophy on the one hand and the
faculties of medicine and engineering on the other hand could be brought
to a European standard.
7. Gender and equal opportunity issues
Concerning staff and doctoral dissertations we see good/very good equal
opportunity possibilities. The faculty should look for excellent female
members of the academic staff who are not one-sided concentrated on
gender issues but whose scholarship is wide-ranging.
8. Appendix to the Panel 2 Report
The following consists of a more detailed review of the research of CTR
prepared as part of their preliminary report by Panel 2, and on which the
above final report is largely based. It was felt however that it would be
useful for CTR and the University to see these comments to amplify the
final Panel report. G.S.Boulton, Main Chair.
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8.1 Preliminary remark
For CTR, the evaluation takes place at a difficult time, after a major
restructuring due to financial problems, at the same time the Bologna
system has had to be implemented, and in the midst of a reorganization
which will result in it ceasing to be a centre and becoming a department
in the School of Humanities and Theology. To be downgraded from
an (old and leading) faculty to a centre and then to a mere department
causes problems of identity and motivation. It is a difficult, uncertain and
stressful times for staff and management a difficult time for evaluation
of research quality. However, we hope that the challenge of coping with
these difficult circumstances will lead to further fundamental and critical
reflection on a new identity as a department. At SHT level this process of
finding a new identity should be actively promoted and supported. CTR
has a strong reputation and should have the opportunity to keep that
reputation in a new setting. This is crucial in creating a motivation for
change.
8.2 Fields of research
The sub-division of CTR into 14 fields serves the purpose of indicating
to students, colleagues and those responsible for the budgets the type
of education and research CTR offer. Each field has at least one full
professor. The leading idea seems to be completeness of disciplines both
in Theology and in Religious Studies. This guarantees a wide or almost
complete range of opportunities for the study of Theology and Religion
which is a distinctive quality not only in teaching but also of in the
infrastructure for research (library, competent collegues). In response to
earlier criticism of being too sub-divided, several measures for concentration
and exchange have been taken. There are examples of joint ventures,
both in the form of research seminars (seven doctoral seminars and two
research seminars in Theology and the History of Religion), research
projects and other ad hoc arrangements. But there still seems to be
potential for more cooperation, especially when it comes to stimulating
interdiciplinary research and creating larger research groups.
CTR in Lund and the Theological Faculty of Uppsala are unique in
Sweden in that research within the History of Religion is carried out in a
faculty of Theology. However, it is not clear how and to what degree there
is an interplay between History of Religion and Theology that influences
research and creates synergy effects.
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There is a policy to add new fields and projects – recently Indic religion,
Human Rights and Theology of Religion (with a site in Jerusalem: which
is very remarkable and promising) have been introduced as new fields –
which is positive and part of a dynamic development within CTR. But
what happens to the old fields, is there a policy for discontinuing fields
and projects?
As to the field of ethics we have some general questions and issues: in
view of what is done in the field of ethics, is there a collaboration with
the department of medical ethics at the faculty of medicine? In view of
the strong position of the faculties of science and of engineering, what
about doing things together in the philosophy of science and technology,
research ethics, applied ethics? Would there be a place for a University
Institute of Ethics?
8.3 Publications and quality of research
This assessment takes a six year perspective on publications and assesses
35 researchers at CTR. (According to the Dean´s evaluation there are
15 full professors, 11 associate professors, 5 assistant professors and 4
associate researchers.)
According to the basic descriptive data from 2002–2007 there were 53
original articles in refereed journals (average ca. 8,8 per year), 1 scientific
review, 6 conference papers (average 1 per year), 125 book chapters (average
ca. 21 per year), 17 books ( average ca. 3 per year), 26 edited volumes
(ca. 4,3 per year).
All together there were 228 strict scientific publications from
2002-2007 (average 38 per year). As for articles and book chapters 185
scientific contributions were published (average 31 per year). This means
that professors and researchers have published on average ca. one article
or book chapter per year. They have also published on the average ca.
one book per ten years and edited one volume per seven years. The
frequency/quantity of publication at the CTR at large is satisfactory,
but not impressive. The general impression is that all fields publish.
But we have to consider that there is a manifest difference between one
group of professors publishing at an international standards and in
international publishing houses and another group whose publishing is
rather poor.
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The long-term aim of the evaluation of LU is to strengthen the University
as a research organization of international high standard. The quality,
productivity and vitality of the publishing activity of CTR should be assessed
against international standards. CTR´s output consists of a variety
of publications. Most striking is that there is a rather low number of
articles in scientific journals compared to book chapters. This, however,
seems to be in line with a contemporary pattern of publishing in humanities
and theology.
Almost half of the book chapters and articles were published in English
or German, which probably strikes a good balance between publications
in Swedish and other languages. Of the thirteen book listed, eleven were
published in Swedish. There are internationally different ”publishing
cultures”, not only between science and humanities, but between the
different fields of CTR, where some of the fields tend to publish more
internationally. CTR should encourage all fields to publish more in
international accessible languages and in higher ranked publication channels,
especially those fields where there are only or almost only Swedish
publications. CTR should use the opportunities of translations at least
into English and German (funded by European funding). This does not
mean that it is not meritorious to publish in Swedish. It is, of course,
important that academic literature is published in the national languages.
An edited volume in Swedish could, for instance, be the result of a
joint-venture within CTR and a result of a team building process across
the different fields, which is positive.
The evaluation panel has consulted bibliographical data and counted
the number of articles, monographs and book chapters published by the
researchers in each of the14 fields, and have tried to estimate the quality
of the journals or publishing houses involved (book reviews, abstract and
conferences are not included). Only 27 persons of the 35 researchers of
CTR were listed with publications (see above). Some of them that were
listed without publications probably have some, although relevant information
may not have been given to us. The picture is also slightly distorted
because those who have retired during the last five years are usually
not in the list of publications. All the same, the survey hopefully suggests
some tendencies in the publication patterns of the different fields.
What follows is a grade for each field. The grade is made on the basis of
the publication data that we have got, but also on the basis of additional
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Panel 2 – religious studies
data in the Dean´s report about research projects, international networks
etc. Doctoral theses have not been included in this evaluation. It is difficult/unfair
on the basis of the accessible data to point out fields that do
not perform so well (insufficient or poor).
8.4 Specific comments
Philosophy of religion:
15 bookchapt. and articles. All in Swedish. OK journals. Slightly more
publications than the average of CTR, but only publications in Swedish.
Church History:
3 books (Swedish), 43 book chapters and articles (12 in English or German).
Published by Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht, Mohr Siebeck, Cambridge
and de Gruyter. Huge amount of publication. Both national and international
publications.
Practical theology:
3 articles and bookchapters (Swedish). Less than the average of CTR. Are
there more people in this field? A strong amount of dissertations (8).
NT exegesis:
3 books (Swedish), 24 articles and bookchapters (9 in English or German).
Highly ranked journals and publishing houses. Published more
than the average in CTR and with several publications in highly ranked
journals and publishing houses.
OT exegesis:
3 books (Swedish), 11 articles (1 Swedish), 1 Book chapter (Brill). Several
highly ranked. Publishes more than the average of CTR and has several
publications in highly ranked journals and publishing houses.
Psychology of Religion:
4 books (Swedish), 2 articles/bookchapters (English). Publishes more
than the average in CTR. Most national, but also international publ.
Sociology of Religion:
4 book chapters, Swedish and English. Less than the average publication
activity.
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Ethics:
2 dissertations (Swedish). 17 articles and book chapters, most of them in
English. Highly ranked journals/publishing companies. Some articles
with joint authorship. High publication activity. International orientation.
Migration studies:
1 book (Swedish), 4 articles and book chapters (3 in English). Highly
ranked publishing houses and journals. More publications that the
average of CTR, some of them international.
World Christianity and Eucumenics:
3 articles and book chapters (English).
History of Religions (+ Indic):
7 articles and book chapters (6 in English) Highly ranked journals and
publishing houses.
Islamic Studies:
1 article. 4 book chapters, English, French and Swedish. Slightly below
average of CTR, but with some international publications.
Jewish Studies:
7 book chapters. English and Swedish. Slightly above the average of
CTR.
Systematic Theology:
One book co-authored (Swedish). 4 bookchapters and articles, three in
English, one in Swedish. Also several recent bookchapters and articles
are listed on internet, but not in the data we have got. More publications
than the average of CTR.
Human rights:
One dissertation and one book chapter.New field. In the process of
appointing a professor.
Doctoral dissertations:
There were 81 registered doctoral students in 2007. In 2002-2007 there
were 66 Ph.D. which is an average of ca. 11 per year. (The Dean´s report
says an average of 15 doctoral dissertations yearly). Mean age in 2007 was
46.4 (In 2003–2007 mean age was 44.5). The age is too high.
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Ranking in accordance with the number of doctoral exams (Ph.D.)
(2002–2007):
• History of Religions (+ Indic) 11
• Practical theology 8
• Ethics 6
• Mission and ecumenics 6
• NT exegesis 6
• Church history 5
• OT exegesis 5
• Systematic theology 5
• Sociology of religion 4
• Psychology of religion 3
• Islamic Studies 3
• Philosophy of Religion 2
• Judaic Religion 1
• Migration Studies 1
According to this list, all fields produce doctoral theses. Some of them
are more productive than others. History of Religion with 11 candidates
is on top (ca. 2 doctoral candidates per year), while Judaic Religion and
Migration studies have only had one doctoral candidate each the last six
years.
The average age for taking a doctoral degree is too high (46.4 year in
2007). The average time to take the degree is also too high (5.9 years; in
Germany 3 years). The reason for high doctoral age can either be that
people begin their doctoral studies too late and/or there are many older
canidates that take a doctoral degree, so that the average age is pushed up.
The relationship between registered doctoral student and those that take
a degree is not optimal, 12/81 in 2007.
The percentage of women who take doctoral degrees is lower than average
for LU:11 % in 2007 (but 33% 2003–2007) compared to 46 %.
21 of the dissertations were written in Swedish. In the History of Religion
3 of 11 were in Swedish, Church History had all in English (5), while
Ethics had 5 of 6 in Swedish.
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8.5 Most successful research areas
Based on publications, Ph.D. candidates, international co-operation,
external funding and strong national and international impact, we assess
the following research areas as the most successful:
Church History is the most outstanding field in CTR. The field has two
international well known professors, who have published extensively. A
book on the letters of Anthony changed the entire field of research of
ancient monasticism in Egypt. A book on Jewish race as a hindrance to
marriage in Sweden is mentioned in the Dean´s report as one of the five
publications which best represents the research activity of CTR. It is in
addition the one publication that had most global media attention of
all publications from CTR. Together they have co-authored a researchgenerated
text book in Church history (in Swedish), used at several
universities. In the series Svenskt Patristiskt Bibliotek Christian ancient
texts are translated from Greek, Latin, Syriac and Coptic into Swedish.
Four books have been published, six more are planned. The milieu has
had a high impact in Scandinavia and also internationally.
In addition, Old and New Testament Exegesis have performed at a very
high international level with large research groups, external funding,
publications in high impact journals and highly-reputable international
publishing houses, and with a high output of doctoral candidates.
However, a number of the professors have recently retired, so while it is
easy to see that Biblical Exegesis has had a glorious recent past at LU, it is
perhaps open to doubt that this will continue into the future?
The History of Religion and the Philosophy of Religion are also especially
successful.
Indic religion, which emerged from the History of Religion, is a relatively
new field. It has an extensive international cooperation. Its professor
has received long-term financial support for his research group (three
researchers + doctoral students) and has the status of a leading scholar.
He is internationally recognized for his achievements. History of Religion
including Indic Religion has during the last six years had 11 Ph.D exams.
Philosophy of Religion is, according to the Dean´s report, a dynamic
field where there have been a growing number and doctoral students,
external funding, interdisciplinary projects, extensive international
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networks and exchanges, and high publishing activity. One of the articles
from this field is especially praised by the Dean. Though this field should
be more ambitious in their publishing policy, we follow the Dean´s report
in ranking this as one of the most successful areas.
8.6 General considerations
Individualism and larger research groups
We have the impression that there is, in CTR research, a situation
comparable to many other theological faculties at European universities;
that humanities and theology research has been an endeavor of individuals.
But, as with sciences and technology, humanities and theology have
to face the conditions of funding and national and international research
policies that target long term projects with groups of scholars. Humanities
and theology should be successful in both fields: in individually
based research that still remains the base of our activities as well as in
research groups.
As to strong long term projects in the humanities, we have to face the
reality that critical editions and translations have the only real chances of
being funded. Is there a possibility for editing and translation in the fields
of Islam and Indic Religious Studies? In the current circumstances at
Lund University (as at other universities), the management of CTR/HT
cannot avoid making a (short term and long term) research policy choices,
which imply a painful focusing of areas of research, recruitment of
staff, PhD policy (in what research field should a PhD student work?) and
publication policy. Much effort should be given to gaining the support of
as many staff members as possible for change. The ideal situation would
be o coordinate individual motivation (and skill) and department policy.
Research policy
Research policy requires choices. Doing everything often means doing
nothing well. We offer CTR the following advice: try to find out where
you are or want to be excellent and what kind of issues you want to deal
with. There are 17 universities/colleges in Sweden where religious studies/
theology is currently studied. They all have to face the same problem
as in Lund. Negotiate with them concerning focus areas of research.
Lund University (and even the Swedish government) should promote
and support these negotiations. Even if the negotiations fail, making
choices is necessary. Making choices in research areas is important for the
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recruitment of staff members and PhD students as well (please consider
our above evaluation of the disciplines).
Issues of research
The remarkable strength of the faculty in Church History and Exegesis
at the one hand and History of Religion at the other hand should become
the base of one or two focus areas. E.g.: questions of the relation between
Christian canonical texts and their hermeneutics and Koran hermeneutics
or between Christian monastic groups and Islamic spiritual schools
need present-day research and could be funded by European institutions.
Another important field is the impact of theological ethics to current
issues of technology and medicine as well as to human rights (see above).
A third field is the new tight connection between Humanities and Theology/Religion.
Here are many challenges, possibilities, and chances for
joint research projects (in the historical disciplines, in classics, in cultural
studies). As to long term projects see above.
International position
At the moment the international position of CTR is ‘completely dependent
on initiatives of its individual researchers’. Here again we would
advise that CTR should try to ‘institutionalize’ some of the major
international connections and take the initiative to create structural collaboration
in research areas between institutes and faculties of religious
studies/ theology in other countries. In other words, making choices in
research policy could give an impetus to international collaboration (and
the other way around). Joint initiatives like in philosophy of religion are
appropriate and should be stimulated, but long term international collaboration
between research groups would contribute to the international
standing of Lund University in general and (the future form of) CTR
in particular. In short: try to combine the creativity and the networks of
individual researchers with CTR policy.
Funding
We can understand why external funding is both a strong and a weak
point. We can see the vulnerability it leads to. So it is clear that a research
policy should be based on faculty funded in long term research lines.
It is not good to be entirely dependent on short term external funding.
However, within the framework of a strong and relevant research
policy, external funding may be welcomed as in strengthening of long
term research as long as contintuity of research can be maintained. It is
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needless to say that a new research strategy requires investment from the
university (and perhaps from the government).
Staff and management
The academic quality of the staff is excellent. However, the proportion of
(senior) professors is remarkably high. We get the impression that nearly
everybody is a professor. We are not acquainted with the Swedish system,
but our suggestion would be to rearrange the proportions between
(senior, full, associate, assistant) professors and (associate) researchers, to
appoint fewer professors, at the same time to strengthen their position,
especially their responsibility for national, but especially for international
research strategy and defining new research issues and more researchers
(with a teaching assignment). E.g. it would be much more attractive for
scholars from abroad to cooperate with a well known professor as with a
local associate researcher. And, because research and teaching are related,
make clearer time arrangement for staff members in teaching, research
and administration (for instance an average of 40% – 40% – 20%).
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PANEL 3 – ARTS
CONTENTS
1. Introductory remarks................................................................................. 94
2. Department of Archaeology and Ancient History....................................... 95
3. Department of Art History and Musicology................................................ 99
4. Department of Cultural Sciences...............................................................105
5. Department of European Ethnology..........................................................110
6. Department of History..............................................................................116
7. SOL-Centre – Research Area Literature
(Language and Literature Centre)..............................................................121
1. Introductory remarks
In each their way the departments and divisions under consideration
by this panel take care of cultural and historical memory as well as
contemporary consciousness. Their subjects and the way in which they
are treated in research and in education based on research are of crucial
importance to the cultural and historical horizon of citizens in a world
that is marked by dramatic changes.
In many ways these academic disciplines are since the Nineteenth
century by tradition oriented towards national cultures and histories,
and in particular towards the national history and culture of the nation
in which the research takes place – Swedish history and Swedish culture
has thus had a very high priority in the Swedish context. Yet also foreign
cultures, in particular literatures, have been studied in each their national
context, usually in departments covering both language and literature.
These organizational structures and priorities have been challenged and
are increasingly challenged by modern history as well as by new developments
in the various fields of research.
The crucial role of culture and historical memory has become obvious in
the wake of changes not least in European politics in the context of globalization.
Migration, technological developments, and cultural exchanges
at the global level go beyond national – and European – borders.
Coming to terms with these changes is a task that calls for knowledge
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about foreign cultures and their social as well as historical background.
Although interaction with national history and culture is an important
task for the academic world, regional, European and wider international
horizons should characterize research in the humanities.
The role and impact of studies in culture in the broader sense, including
popular culture and media, is less evident than the role of many other
fields of research, yet these fields are increasingly integrated in considerations
of questions that usually are taken as belonging to the fields
of the social sciences. Cross-faculty research that integrates aspects of
social sciences and the humanities will in the future become still more
important. Area-studies are one version of such interactions. Although
there are reasons to focus on departments as organizational structures of
research it is equally important to support cross departmental and cross
faculty structures of research.
Universities are central agencies for knowledge about the social and cultural
conditions of the world, we live in. Research that is developed in interaction
with the best international research communities is an essential
resource for education, for mediatized information, as well as for political
and administrative agencies. Bringing together on one hand historical
knowledge and insight in cultural formations on the international scene
and on the other hand knowledge about social, economic and political
conditions is a task that demands types of intellectual interaction and
organizational structures that go beyond the present organization of the
university.
The combination of direct access to foreign areas based on language
skills, insight in historical backgrounds and intimate familiarity with
foreign cultures, i.e. the combination that is distinctive of research in the
Humanities at its best, is a unique resource in itself, yet it should also be
set in play in other fields.
2. Department of Archaeology
and Ancient History
2.1 Overall assessment
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History is a strong research
environment, which has four disciplines: Archaeology, Classical
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Archaeology and Ancient history, Historical Archaeology and Historical
Osteology. The department is one of the largest in the faculty. The
approach of the research is long-term and in many cases multi- and
interdisciplinary.
The self evaluation gives a balanced and realistic description of the most
important features of the department’s research activities.
The output of the doctoral dissertations has been very good. At this time,
the number of registered doctoral students is also high, even though the
number of salaried doctoral students is not.
2.2 Research infrastructure
The organization and administration of the unit is quite complex and
seems to be a little bit disordered. There are several administrative bodies,
which, however, can not make real decisions concerning for example the
research or research strategies. In spite of this, it should also be mentioned
that the co-operation within the department operates well.
Department writes that the Historical Museum and the Museum of Classical
Antiquities are the most important resources for scientific activity.
There are also several other museums and laboratories, which are crucial
in this matter. However, it is not clear if these institutions really can
provide important substance for the research, even if they are important
for teaching and for the “third task” of the department. It might be so
that these supporting infrastructures can take too much effort, which
could be used in basic research.
The department has not told much about the resource materials or special
equipments which have been used in studies, but several laboratories etc.
have been mentioned.
The economy of the department has deteriorated drastically during the
evaluation period. Especially the grants for research, i.e. external funding,
have decreased from 10 MSEK to 5 MSEK. This has to effect on
the activities of the department.
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2.3 Research Quality
The reputation of the department is very good, which can be observed
firstly from the list of the awarded individuals. Secondly, the researchers
of the department have very actively joined the international conferences
as invited lecturers and plenary or keynote speakers. One striking
observation is that so many members of the staff have been participated
in these seminars. It also should be mentioned that several researchers
have got assignments to be evaluators and editors in national and international
contexts. This indicates that the staff is competent and also highly
respected in the community of researchers.
During the evaluation period the staff has published a number of publications.
The productivity of the department is, however, sufficient in
relation to the number of researchers. The low quantity is at least partly
explained by the fact that the researchers publishes quite a lot in refereed
journals and write book chapters. Many of these publications are published
abroad or are otherwise international.
The department has mentioned three main research projects, which all
have been successful. They all have been continued quite a long time and
especially the Road to Midgard and The Uppåkra project have got plenty
of results too. The department informs also two promising research areas,
which are very different compared to the present main research projects.
Both of them, The Archaeology of Time Travel and Social Dimensions of
Technological Change are even more interdisciplinary than the previous
ones, but at the same time they seem to be quite “fashionable” and also
not so unique, “different” or as focused than the first mentioned ones.
The quality of research at the department is very good.
2.4 Collaboration
The department has worked a lot to integrate the disciplines, and have
got visible results. The joint seminars and work shops have been held and
even though each field has its own area of study there are several crosscutting
areas of research within the department. The interdisciplinary
character of the department can be utilized with help of these.
The collaboration within the department is functioning, as with some
other departments within the University. The themes of the main
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research areas seem to be quite close also to several other departments’
interests at the faculty of humanities.
The department is active in national and international collaboration. The
high number of lectures and different kinds of assignments is an evidence
of that. International collaboration could be even more active, if one is
looking at the total numbers of visits etc. However, today the official
criteria of at least three months visits abroad is not adequate, since many
fruitful research visits are much shorter nowadays.
The “third task” (or obligation) of the university is well managed and it
shows that these tasks are integrated in the research.
In terms of collaboration the department is very good.
2.5 Research activity and teaching
The department has been active in arranging national and international
conferences. The researchers have frequently been participating in
seminars and conferences.
The department is highly research oriented and thus the teaching has
been connected with in a proper way. The interaction between research
and teaching is lively, for instance there are field schools and excavations
entirely attached with the ongoing research. Undergraduate students have
been recruited to the projects and they have written their BA and MA
thesis within these projects.
The department has been successful in collecting grants from external
resources. Also the research culture within the department seems to favor
projects and large research groups.
2.6 Evaluation of future plans
The plans for the future seem to be realistic. There is a generation change
waiting and at this moment there might be some problems of planning the
future or to control the situation. However, the department has succeeded
in research and the internal co-operation is working well, so the challenges
in the future are not necessarily so drastic either. After all, the aim to become
a leading center in Archaeology and Ancient History is fully feasible.
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The plans of the department are very good.
2.7 Future potentials and possibilities
Strong leadership is needed in the near future, when there is going to be
a generation change. The department has acknowledged the challenges.
The administration should be simplified. The role of the different museums
should be evaluated in connection with the research and the diminishing
funding. The balance between disciplines within the department
should be strengthened, for instance the number of PhD-students varies a
lot in various disciplines.
The research plans of the new projects are very vivid and also the international
connections are very well described. The new projects do not
seem to have many common features compared to the older, prominent
ones. Care should be taken that the tacit knowledge and the experiences
from the former projects are not going to be lost. It is also important
to maintain the archeological basic skills and approaches in the future.
The traditional research projects still have remarkable know-how also in
fund raising: these experiences can be useful even in new situations. The
new ways of doing archaeology are of course welcomed and can help the
department to vitalize and renew the research. Even closer collaboration
with e.g. Department of History or discipline of Ethnology could give
more opportunities to new approaches and new possibilities for funding.
2.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The gender balance in the department is slightly for the women: in all
personnel categories there are more women than men, in all 66 per cent
of the staff are women.
3. Department of Art History and Musicology
3.1 Overall assessment
The department is a small unit consisting of three divisions: 1) Art
history (1 professor and 3-4 lecturers), 2) Musicology (2 professors and 1
lecturer), and 3) Semiotics (1 professor). There are discrepancies between
information at the home page of the department and the list of employees
provided for the panel. The majority of the employees are part time.
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Including research fellows and researchers the full time equivalent is
21 for all three divisions together. There are 7 doctoral students (Art: 3,
Music: 3, semiotics 1). There is a department board, but each division has
its own committee for all levels of education and for research.
In Art history and visual culture there is a special emphasis on the period
after 1900 including “non-art media and mass media contexts where
visuality and visual aspects have a decisive role”. In Musicology there is
a special emphasis on both Swedish and European music, particularly in
a social and political context. Semiotics has an emphasis on cultural and
in particular visual semiotics. The division of semiotics is the only one in
Sweden and has a prominent status in international research in semiotics
– at the basis of the work of professor Sonesson.
The total revenue is down from kSEK 18 579 in 2003 to kSEK 13 797 in
2007; revenue from undergraduate education and revenue for research are
both down about 25%. In particular grants for research have decreased
(2003: kSEK 4 595 – 2007: kSEK 2 631). Two professors (three, including
Sonesson?) and three lecturers, i.e. about half of the professors and
lecturers, are over 60.
Productivity in terms of PhDs is steady; although it is low (about 3 a year)
it should be compared to the limited number of professors and lecturers.
Most of the PhDs are in Art History and Visual Studies.
It is obvious that staffs of this size cannot cover entire fields of research;
it does thus make good sense that both art history and musicology
have made the choice to highlight particular areas as indicated above.
A merger of the department with Cultural Sciences and Ethnology will
potentially create new constellations, in particular in the field of cultural
history, yet it is important to prepare for new recruitments.
Since there are significant differences between the research activities of
the three sub sections, an overall assessment is not to the point. Below
each of the sections will be dealt with separately.
3.2 Research infrastructure
A regular ‘Higher Seminar of Art History and Visual Studies’ invites
scholars from other disciplines at the department. The Centre of Sound Environment
represents an important potential for interdisciplinary research.
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3.3 Research quality
Professor Greger Andersson was during the period under consideration
here leader of a broad interdisciplinary project at the national level
(funded by the Swedish research council) on “Fear, Fascination and
Friendship. Swedish culture and science under the influence of Nazism
and Fascism 1930–1950”. The project resulted in books, articles and
conference papers in German and English as well as in Swedish and
demonstrates collaboration at the national level as well as internationally.
A similar approach is demonstrated in other publications (e.g. about
Shostakovich) from this division of the department.
In both Art history and Musicology a very high proportion of publications
are books or contributions to books, a bibliometric emphasis on
output in terms of articles in journals is thus not adequate.
Productivity: With 43 publications, working papers and conference contributions
in Swedish, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese
between 2002 and 2007 Göran Sonesson’s research output is remarkable
and demonstrates his full integration in the international community in
the field as a highly respected scholar.
The publications in the field of Art and Visual studies are with some
exceptions in Swedish and published in Sweden; the subject matter is predominantly
Swedish, yet a number of international subjects are taken up.
It is worth underscoring that a number of publications are of a theoretical
character, among them several of the publications in English. There are so
radical differences between the output of the least productive and the most
productive employees that it does not make sense to consider the average
number of publications. Within the period under consideration the numbers
are within the range of on one hand 19 publications plus 1 book from
2003–2007 and on the other hand zero publications since 2001. A group
of scholars in the field are at the level of between 2 and 4 publications a
year (including books), this part of the area is thus working fine, yet not
even a minimal general norm seems to be enforced in general. 4
4. At a very late stage the panel received the information that professor Weimarck during
2002–04 was leading a project financed by the Swedish Research Council on ”Design and
Vidual culture in Sweden after World War II”, the contributions are not yet published.
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In musicology the average number of publications (including books) and
conference papers are about 2 a year. The majority of the publications are
in Swedish and published in Sweden, most of the exceptions are conference
papers in English by one doctoral student and first and foremost
contributions to the study of music and Nazism in Germany and Sweden
by professor Andersson and research assistant Ursula Geisler, research
that has resulted in a book (in Swedish) on ‘Myth and Propaganda. Music
in the Service of Nazism in Sweden and Germany’ (2007). Relations
between music and politics are a recurrent theme in the publications from
this division of the department.
Research quality: The research in semiotics which is basically the result
of a one man venture, i.e. the work of Göran Sonesson, is internationally
recognized.
The musicological research in the field of the social and political context
and role of music is leading in Sweden, and does internationally represent
development of an important field of research.
Research in Art and visual studies are at the national level.
Relevance: Several publications in the field of art are related to exhibitions
and thus examples of interaction with the world of art and galleries
as it is also the case with other publications that analyse contemporary
artists. The studies in social and political aspects of music should be
highlighted as important contributions to musicology as cultural history
in a broader sense than is usual in the field. In an international as well
as a national perspective these studies approach difficult questions in the
cultural historical memory, and some of the publications are of a popularizing
character. Both art history and musicology thus relate in each their
way to the Swedish public. The general studies in the field of images, not
least the semiotic contributions, point in the direction of interesting and
important interactions between areas of research that usually are far from
each other.
Vitality: The contributions to semiotics in the period under consideration
in the evaluation represent a continuation of a long and steady commitment
to the field that is so much more remarkable as it is mainly taken
care of by one person. The research in music and politics represents an
energetic renewal in the field of musicology. The uneven output in Art
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and Visual culture is problematic, yet some scholars stand out as dynamic
factors in the research community (cf. below).
The quality of research in Art History is good, in Musicology very good,
and in Semiotics excellent.
3.4 Collaboration
During two decades a Seminar on Semiotics has brought representatives
of various disciplines together, and semiotics has been involved in several
research projects at the national and the EU-level, applications have
recently been elaborated together with cognitive science, linguistics,
human ecology and philosophy. Sonesson holds several prominent posts
in Nordic and international organizations in the field of semiotics, among
them the posts as general secretary of International Association for Visual
Semiotics and vice general secretary of International Association for
Semiotic Studies. He is also among the editors of an international journal
of visual semiotics.
Recently an ‘Image Group’ was established with a view of collaboration
across departments, including Radiology, Medical Informatics, and
Physical Geography.
The report from the department mentions unspecified collaborations
with other disciplines in- and outside Sweden and points to a master
programme in visual studies that involves film studies and philosophy, as
well as an international network in visual culture. During the last years
international collaboration has had a high priority, e.g. in organization
of and participation in conferences. One researcher in art is leading a
NordForsk network on ‘The Bodily Turn’ together with leading Nordic
scholars. The musicological project mentioned above also involved
international collaboration.
In terms of collaboration Art History is good, Musicology is between good
and very good, Semiotics is excellent.
3.5 Research activity and teaching
An effort to bring own research into the higher levels of teaching is
mentioned in the report from the department.
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3.6 Evaluation of future plans
In the field of art and visual culture the plan is to maintain the emphasis
on visual arts and visual culture since 1900, in particular with a view
of broad research into the role of images and visuality across traditional
disciplines and in relation to bodily experience. This is a promising and
highly relevant field of research, although the description is somewhat
abstract.
In the field of musicology a highly recommendable further development
of research in music and politics is the most important project. Other
fields of research are mentioned in a rather vague manner.
In the field of semiotics interaction with other fields like cognitive studies
and linguistics is highlighted with a view of – as it appears – first and
foremost theoretical studies.
The plans of Art History and Musicology are good; the plans of Semiotics
are very good.
3.7 Potentials and possibilities
The report mentions the “planned construction of a more extensive and
larger historical-philosophical department of humanities” which will
“facilitate the research development and cooperation in a multi-disciplinary
direction”. Meant is probably the planned merger with Cultural
Sciences and Ethnology. It is obvious that there are interesting potentials
in interaction with other disciplines within the faculty. It should be
underscored, though, that the question is not only a question of ‘critical
mass’, it should of course be handled as a question of content. There are
in the actual department at least two promising directions of research,
one is theoretical – particularly in visual studies understood in a broader
cultural context, another is concerned with questions of cultural history
in the modern period. The research in semiotics is closely related to the
first field, as it is to other fields. Modern visual culture is not least popular
culture, aspects of the work at the department thus relates to media studies
and studies in popular culture (i.e. to aspects of the literature & film
division of SOL as well as to studies in the traditional field of art history,
‘high art’). Yet it is worth considering that the department of History also
does express a strong interest in cultural history. Independently of the
institutional arrangements, it seems important to keep this plurality of
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relations between the various divisions and departments in mind. There
does not seem to be just one solution in terms of department construction
that will take care of all the potentials for further development of current
interesting research and renewal, nor would an emphasis on leadership at
the department level provide a solution to cross-disciplinarity.
3.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The proportion of women in the academic staff is 48%, yet among
doctoral students there are 75% women – an effort might be to the point
to attract more men as doctoral students, so much more as 64% of the
doctors between 2003 and 2007 were women, and all three in 2007 as
well.
4. Department of Cultural Sciences
4.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Cultural Sciences comprises four sections: ALM
(Archives, Libraries and Museums – Library and Information Science),
Book History, History of Science and Ideas and Cultural Studies. It
represents a small but vital research environment focusing upon topics
that are highly relevant for the digital and multicultural knowledge
society. The profile is characterized by multidisciplinarity, although with
a joint perspective between the four sections. Understanding the impact
of digital technologies on patterns of communication in general and
scholarly communications in particular and tracing the roots of emerging
cultural forms can be described as the integrating focus and research
profile of the department. These are major intellectual challenges within
the humanities as well as the social sciences today. Combining Library
and Information Science, History of Science and Ideas, Book History
and Cultural Studies seem to constitute a very fruitful platform for doing
research related to these challenges.
Research on documents and media includes information use and scholarly
communication as well as print and digital artifacts and transmediation.
Research on cultural phenomena includes historical analyses of
Western science and philosophy, global post-modernism and contemporary
popular culture. The study of knowledge and uses of information
are important areas at the department.
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The multi-disciplinary approach characterizing the department’s subject
fields seem to be an important asset. Disciplinary borders seem to be
crossed easily.
The department represents a national centre of competence within the
field of Book History.
The output of the department measured by publications has had a
positive development. The number of publications in 2007 is 300 per
cent higher than in 2003. The section on History of Science and Ideas
seems to be the most research active at the moment, although the section
on library and information science has a very high proportion of its most
recent publications in high ranking international peer reviewed journals.
The output of doctoral degrees with approximately 2 per year is satisfactory
when compared to an academic staff of only 17.
An international orientation seems to characterize the research of the
department, partly through its publication pattern (LIS), partly through
building international networks (History of Ideas and Sciences).
4.2 Research infrastructure.
The internal organization seems to work fine, although the self evaluation
indicates that the multidisciplinary potential could be utilized even more
efficiently. Concrete plans have been developed and initiatives taken
to develop this potential. The number of academic staff within the four
sections is limited. That seems, however, to be compensated for through
cooperation with other institutions in the same field, for instance the
department’s participation in NORSLIS (Nordic research School in
Library and Information Science) and through cooperation within the
department. Existing plans aiming at an organizational restructuring are
also important in this respect. And although small, the department is a
national and Nordic centre of competence within the field of book history.
The economic situation of the department has deteriorated during the
period of evaluation. External funding has fallen from 3,6 MSEK to 1,9
MSEK which must be described as a dramatic reduction. The fact that
the department in spite of this during the period of evaluation has been
able to increase its research output in the form of a marked increase in the
number of publications indicate that it represents a vital environment.
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Another positive indicator is the fact the mean age of the academic staff
is five years lower in 2007 compared to 2003 (45 years compared to 50).
Among senior lecturers the mean age has been reduced with 7 years (42
compared to 49). Of those recruited to academic positions during the
period, approximately one third are externally recruited with a PhD from
another university. Also these are important facts when assessing the
potential and dynamism of the research environment.
4.3 Research quality
Measured by number of publications, the research productivity of the
department has undergone a positive development during the period.
In 2003 there were 0,7 publications per academic staff member. That
figure increased till almost 2 (1,9) in 2007. These figures indicate that
the department finds itself in a positive developmental trend in spite of
budgetary cuts.
The section on History of Ideas and Sciences stands forth as the most
research active and productive. 70 per cent of all reported publications
during the period of evaluation stem from this section. On the other
hand, the LIS section documents quality with a high proportion of its
publications being published in international peer reviewed journals.
Of 11 publications from the LIS section in the years 2007–2008, 8 have
been published in international peer reviewed journals, of which at least 3
belong to the most highly ranked within the field.
In general a strong international orientation seems to be one important
quality characterizing the research activity of the department. This international
orientation is documented by the section of the History of Ideas
and Sciences’ being instrumental in creating two international networks
on globalization and culture connecting more than 200 researchers from
Latin America, the US and Europe. One is about embarking a collaborative
international project on humanistic informatics together with the
University of Madrid, Spain, and the University of Bergen, Norway. The
LIS section, as indicated above, seems to have an international orientation
in its research and publication practice and takes an active part in Nordic
collaboration in PhD-education through the NORDFORSK-financed
Nordic Research School in Library and Information Science.
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The international orientation also reflects itself in the lines of research.
One of three major lines of research in the field of History of Ideas and
Sciences focuses upon international perspectives going beyond the borders
of Europe. Neither are the major topics of research in Book History
(documents of script and print cultures and the processes by which these
documents are produced, distributed and used in an historical context)
and LIS (scholarly communication and information seeking of professionals
and young people) nationally limited.
The research within the department is interdisciplinary.
Scholars within the department have been assigned as evaluators and
editors in national and international contexts and keynote-speakers at
international conferences.
The output of doctoral students of approximately two per year seems
to be normal and satisfactory when taking into regard the size of the
academic staff.
The department disposes of a unique national research competence
within the field of book history.
There seems to be a lack of balance between Cultural Studies and the
three other sections of the department as far as research is concerned,
where cultural studies seems to be lagging somewhat behind.
Taken as a whole the average quality of research at the department should
be graded between good and very good.
4.4 Collaboration
The internal cooperation in the department seems to work well at several
levels: There are joint courses and seminars. All four sections in the
department are in the process of establishing a joint research project.
Resources are earmarked for a project coordinator at departmental level.
These initiatives document that the department actively strives to compensate
for the smallness of the individual sections trough collaborative
efforts and that it has a conscious strategy of utilizing the interdisciplinary
potential.
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Collaboration with other departments at Lund University is first and
foremost the Research Policy Institute, Department of Informatics and
Department of Philosophy. As for Nordic and international collaboration
it is the LIS and History of Ideas and Sciences section that standout as
particularly active
In terms of collaboration the department should be rated between good
and very good.
4.5 Research activity and training
The department seems to concentrate much on teaching. Many staff
members teach across disciplines and the four sections jointly offer a BA.
There is a master program in LIS and 3 PhD-programs. The department
focuses strongly upon the links between teaching/education and research.
4.6 Evaluation of future plans
The future plans of the department are in general sound and feasible.
Initiatives are about being taken in order to connect the disciplines more
closely. There are also proofs of this interaction (Master’s Program), in
the future also in research. The plan for a joint research project is a good
start.
The self-evaluation shows that the department concerned about it terms
“general lack of critical mass due to limited faculty”. This kind of honesty is
a credit for the department, especially when the department is trying to do
something to compensate for this, partly through cooperation across disciplines
within the department, partly through Nordic cooperation. Also the
plans to gain more funding from external sources are highly important.
The plans of the department are in general very good.
4.7 Future potentials and possibilities
There will be a generational change in the near future when all professors
are going into retirement. The period of transformation should be planned
carefully. There are indicators that such a planned process is taking
place. The reduced average age within the staff in general and among
senior lecturers in particular and the recruitment of staff members from
other universities than Lund are such indicators.
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Co-operation with the other departments at the faculty should be
strengthened on the one hand. There tends to be a lack of balance in
research output between the different sections, particularly between
Cultural Science and the three others and this imbalance should be taken
care of. The planned initiatives to promote joint research at departmental
level will probably be important in this respect.
Cooperation with other departments at the university should be
strengthened and one should also take steps to counteract the obvious
imbalance between the different disciplines and their research output.
The department should utilize its open-minded culture in full strength
in research and transform the interdisciplinary to an asset. Joint publications
in esteemed forums could be a good aim. Initiatives should be
taken to utilize the openness and the multidiscplinarity of the department
even mot efficiently as an asset.
4.8 Gender and equal opportunity
There is a gender bias in the sense that only 18 per cent of the academic
staff are women. The percentage of women has been reduced with three
per cent between 2003 and 2007.
5. Department of European Ethnology
5.1 Overall assessment
The Department of European Ethnology at Lund is one of the foremost
departments of its kind by reputation in Europe, responsible for
establishing what is known worldwide as the Lund school of ethnology.
This reputation rests on research published in the 1980s and 1990s,
with the volumes The Culture Builders (Löfgren/Frykman) and, to
a lesser degree, Body Time (eds. Lundin/Åkesson) being particularly
important. The period of assessment has seen a decline in staff numbers
from 42 FTE to 26 FTE, of whom only 14 FTE are professors,
lecturers and researchers. Of these, 3.22 FTE is attached to the more
recently established division of Human Ecology, which comprises a
distinct sub-unit within the Department. Whilst these two divisions
share a common heritage in anthropological research and methods,
there is no connection between the two, even at the level of internal
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management. 5 It is clear that the submission has been prepared by two
distinct sub-units; no attempt has been made to bring these together as
an integrated statement.
The unit of assessment has experienced considerable financial contraction
in the evaluation period, from €2.97m (2003) to €2.5m (2006) and €2m
(2007); a decline in income from teaching, and a substantial decline in
income from research. In such circumstances, European Ethnology is to
be commended for its continued productivity; for the continued relevance
of its research; and for its high professional service profile in Scandinavia.
It is important to recognise, nonetheless, that this part of the Department
has a ‘top heavy’ and ageing profile; that its international reputation
rests on a very few key figures, many of whom are approaching retirement
age; and that it faces major challenges in relation to generational renewal
and sustainability. It is to be hoped that the stated merger with Art
History, Musicology and Cultural Sciences will provide the necessary
reinvigoration. Human Ecology performs consistently above its weight in
FTE terms. It has a very strong international publication record; a strong
track record in grant earning; and is producing work at the forefront of
the trans-disciplinary field of human-environment relations. In no small
part this is down to the energy of its senior professor (Hornborg).
The submission shows a lack of leadership at a Departmental level and a
responsive, rather than proactive, attitude to change. This is evidenced
particularly by the absence of future planning, as well as by apparent internal
management difficulties. Although the response to future planning
is perhaps explained by the forthcoming merger, strong leadership will be
required in order to effect the planned reorganisation and to ensure that
the Lund tradition in ethnology is maintained.
5.2 Research infrastructure
Human Ecology operates as a clearly focused research group within
the Department. The benefits are evidenced in publications. Within
European Ethnology there are nine research themes. This is too many for
5. Since Human Ecology operates as a distinct division within the Department and does
not appear to be included in the 2009 merger, it is discussed separately from European
Ethnology, and in so far as possible given the databases, according to the same assessment
criteria.
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a Department of this size, and suggests that Ethnology, up to now, has
followed a pattern of ‘lone scholar’ research. There is clear evidence of a
rather different model provided by HEX (Section 2.4). This should be
encouraged: it is the way in which humanities scholarship is developing
elsewhere, and for Lund to be competitive in securing interdisciplinary
research funds in the future this structure will be essential.
5.3 Research quality, including quality, productivity,
relevance and vitality
The Department (Ethnology + Human Ecology) has maintained a strong
record of productivity throughout the period, with a total of 298 academic
publications from 2002. 6 Notwithstanding the reduction in FTE,
productivity per FTE across the full Department (including Human Ecology)
in the assessment period increased from 1.3 outputs/FTE in 2003
to 2.2 outputs/FTE in 2007. Of the ≈ 300 publications roughly half are
book chapters. The Department might perhaps consider whether this is
the best publication strategy for research evaluations based increasingly
on metrics.
Scrutiny of the research publications database for European Ethnology
showed 251 outputs in total; 41 ( ≈ 10%) are in English and of these only
7 are in refereed journal articles/ books. 7 Whilst European Ethnology
has published its research in the major Scandinavian and European
ethnology journals, its reputation internationally rests (for better or
worse) on its publication in the English-speaking world. A key issue in
maintaining an international profile is to ensure that current research is
disseminated beyond Scandinavia and particularly within the Englishspeaking
world.
Scrutiny of the research publications database for Human Ecology
showed 110 outputs in total, 70 of which (≈ 65%) are in English. Human
Ecology is therefore responsible for ≈ 33% of the total publication output
6. There are considerable inconsistencies between the data in Form 1.3 and the full list of
publications by Department, supplied as additional information. The combined publication
list from European Ethnology and Human Ecology gives a total of 361 publications; Form
1.3 gives a combined total of 492. Productivity has been calculated on the basis of the
information supplied in Form 1.1 and 1.3.
7. Consultation of Web of Knowledge suggests that the publication database for European
Ethnology is incomplete, particularly with regard to some English language publications.
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of the Department (from ≈ 20% of the FTE). Hornborg is responsible for
53 (≈ 50%) of these outputs (31 in English).
The combined Department has produced a total of 17 PhDs in the
assessment period (1.2/FTE). The text commentary suggests that the
majority of these are from Human Ecology. However, further clarification
confirms exact figures as follows: European Ethnology 11 (8 female:
3 male), Human Ecology 6 (3 female: 3 male).
Research quality: it is striking that European Ethnology chose to flag
two books published well before the evaluation period. Beyond the
flagged texts, it is difficult to make an assessment of the international/
national quality of published research for European Ethnology, for this
part of the Department does not provide an answer to the questions
asked in Section 2.3, limiting its response to a list of input measures.
The full publications database shows clear evidence of national and
international (within Scandinavia) quality publication for a majority
of staff in European Ethnology, including younger staff on promising
trajectories. Web of Knowledge shows modest levels of citation for
work in the health, medicine and biotech field and for work in cultural
economy. On a stricter interpretation, however, only Löfgren has an
international reputation. His work on new economies is now being
cited by key international figures within the field, and adds to his earlier
reputation from the 1980s, gained principally in anthropology and
material culture.
The output from Human Ecology is more impressive in terms of citation
impact. In no small part this is down to publishing in the major English
language journals in the field, listed in Section 2.3, although it is important
to note that this has not been to the detriment of publication within
Scandinavia. Hornborg is a major international figure in the field, whose
work on unequal exchange and environmental load displacement has
attracted much interest. The flagged texts are major international collections;
the flagged journal publication is genuinely innovative in its attempts
to combine anthropological perspectives with policy concerns. The quality
of the research in this part of the Department is further evidenced by the
volume of grant income that it is attracting (≈ €1m on an FTE of 3.22).
Relevance: European Ethnology’s research interests are clearly of broad
socio-economic and cultural significance within Scandinavia, and there
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have been commendable efforts both to publicise results to broader
audiences (ETN) and to engage with key stakeholders. Some of the most
innovative of recent research involves collaborations with artists and film
makers. Human Ecology’s research is clearly of interest and significance
to major political and international debates concerning sustainability and
lifestyle, although there is less evidence here of engagement with research
users than might be anticipated.
Vitality: European Ethnology remains an active, collaborative research
environment, however, an absence of leadership has clearly made strategic
decision making with respect to research initiatives difficult. Declining
revenue together with a declining FTE will have impinged markedly on
teaching loads, and further affected the ability to conduct research. Human
Ecology is a small but strong and successful research environment,
showing clearly the benefits of strong leadership at senior levels, and the
links between input/output measures, international collaboration and
networking. However, there is no indication in the submission of where
this part of the Department sees its future within the internal organisation
of Lund University.
Research in European Ethnology is very good; research in Human
Ecology is excellent.
5.4 Collaboration
European Ethnology has a strong tradition of local collaborative working
which is well evidenced in its publications, many of which showcase
the collective work of Lund researchers. It has also been successful in
conducting collaborative research within Scandinavia, with the Öresund
project as a notable example. European Ethnology might perhaps reflect
on the absence of co-publication collaborations with researchers based
outside Scandinavia and on the opportunities for collaboration with
researchers where there are possibilities through bi-lateral agreements.
Human Ecology is more successful at international collaboration and
networking, evidenced by its edited collections, which include authors
from the US, UK, continental Europe and Scandinavia, as well as ‘local’
researchers.
In terms of collaboration the department is very good.
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5.5 Research activity and teaching
European Ethnology states a strong commitment to integrating research
and teaching, and this is evidenced by their use of co-authored books as
teaching texts. It is clear that a 33% contraction in FTE (2003–7) will
have had a major impact on capacity to deliver teaching programmes.
Human Ecology’s commitment to teaching is more clearly evidenced at
the Master’s level.
5.6 Evaluation of future plans
European Ethnology does not provide an answer to the questions listed
in Section 2.4. There is no discussion of strategic vision and planning, nor
possibilities and obstacles. No discussion is provided of a need for further
recruitment. This is surprising given the reduction in staffing encountered
during the evaluation period. The absence of any forethought as to
how research might be repackaged is particularly surprising given the
pending reorganisation of the Department within an amalgamated unit
in the humanities, and is indicative of a responsive rather than proactive
approach to change. By way of response, the Department lists two new
interdisciplinary collaborations and a few more speculative possibilities.
The response is at the level of individual plans for further research and/or
collaboration. There is a need to think more strategically here.
Human Ecology provides a clear statement as to its future research
priority areas. These are obvious developments from existing areas of
expertise, and are likely to be able to attract considerable funding in the
future.
The plans of European Ethnology are poor; the plans of Human Ecology
are very good.
5.7 Potentials and possibilities
There will clearly be possibilities for collaboration consequent upon
the merger with Art History, Musicology and Cultural Sciences. It is
suggested that an early priority for the new unit should be to establish
priority research themes for future research. Whilst there are clear synergies
between these departments, it is important that the new critical mass
generates related research agendas and not just individual research plans.
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Human Ecology does not belong within the newly merged department:
it has a very different approach to the primarily humanities scholarship
of Ethnology, Art History, Musicology and the Cultural Sciences. It is
suggested that an alternative ‘home’ be found within Lund University.
5.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The Department has a strong record in gender equality, although it
should be noted that there are no female researchers (7 employees). The
age-profile of European Ethnology is overly ‘top heavy’, with 6 of 7.85
FTE in the professorial bracket > 64. This problem has been exacerbated
by a decline in the number of PhD registrations. It is striking that no data
is provided on ethnicity.
6. Department of History
6.1 Overall assessment
Department of History is a very strong research environment. The department
is one of the largest in the faculty. The number of academic staff
is sufficient and the distribution of different categories of posts is even.
The research practiced within the department has significant depth in
themes and a vast knowledge of different time periods. The department
also administrates a graduate school in history, which is a great asset to
the department and also a concrete evidence of the reputation of research.
The department has recognized its important role as a discussant and an
interpreter for the present day and for the society. History has always had
a strong national significance and practically everywhere in the world
the discipline is basically national. This national character of the whole
field can not be used to department’s disadvantage since the international
comparability can be easily seen in research.
The department has a well formulated and motivated research profile. The
focal research area today – the New Cultural History – is internationally
and nationally interesting and important. The department has also very
good evidence on results in these matters; the number of publications and
the output of completed doctoral dissertations are excellent.
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6.2 Research infrastructure
The administrational structure of the department is clear. It is an
advantage that the department contains only one academic discipline,
especially when the possibilities of interdisciplinary research have been
taken care of.
The number of doctoral students is especially high because of the National
Graduate School of History. This is a remarkable resource for the
department and the department has made good use of it. The graduate
school has a functioning strategy and the supervision of the doctoral
students is well managed. The graduate school has operated in cooperation
with other departments and disciplines within the university as well
as with other universities. The Centre of Labour History and the Centre
of Danish Studies are also associated to the department.
The economy of the department has been quite stable during the evaluation
period. However, especially the external funding has fluctuated quite
a lot during the period. In any case, department has pretty good resources
and an excellent infrastructure.
6.3 Research Quality
The department’s research is characterized as the New Cultural History,
which in this contexts means long time period, strong knowledge of
theories and models and diversity of themes. The subjects are very broad
and sometimes one wonders if something could be left out. On the other
hand, as the department writes, some themes are overlapping, which is
always a good sign in historical research – there is not only one explanation
or just one point of view. In the fields mentioned, the department
has shown to be very competent and esteemed, even internationally. The
subjects like legal cultures (in broad sense), state formation, Holocaust
studies and also gender studies and labor history show that the research
in department has been raised to a high level of generalization. All of
these themes are also internationally relevant, important and at this
moment widely studied; thus the research is internationally comparability,
even – or especially – when the research objects are Swedish. The
“Swedish case” is as such significant and especially when it is combined
with and connected to the Nordic and global contexts. The department
emphasizes the role of the comparisons.
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During the evaluation period the staff has published a very high number
of publications. The productivity of the department is excellent in relation
to the number of researchers. The researchers publish mostly, on the one
hand, book chapters and on the other hand book reviews and popular
science publications. The latter is a very valuable task, but there should
perhaps be little more articles in refereed journals and also monographs
(books). The best publications represented are mostly written in Swedish,
but the themes of these books are in most cases international and highly
interesting. The relevance of the publications and the research projects are
high both within the discipline and in relation to society at large. Some
scholars have an exceptional high publishing activity and several scholars
have published a lot in well esteemed fora.
The department is highly respected. Several researchers of the department
have got assignments to be evaluators and some editors in national and
international contexts. The vice-presidency of CISH is also a strong
evidence of the reputation of the department.
The research quality of the department is excellent.
6.4 Collaboration
The department does not write much about the international collaboration
in concrete terms, but the joint-publications and the research visits
shows that is it lively. The department has also the only chair in Sweden
specialized in international history. The comparative approach to e.g.
Nordic history has been one of the specialties of the department.
The collaboration within the department is working well and the organization
of the research seems to be systematically analyzed: it means that
there is room for both projects and for individual researchers. “Network”
is the key word in this department (see also the Advanced Seminar in
below). The vitality of the department can thus be saved and developed in
the future too because the “critical mass” is sufficient and new promising
researchers rises frequently.
The department has been interested in the multi- and interdisciplinary
research both at the individual level and within the projects. However,
the collaboration within the faculty of humanities should be strengthening
even more, because there are several departments and/or disciplines,
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which could be closely connected to the Department of History’s focal
main areas; especially such as the Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient
History and Dept. of European Ethnology, but also Dept. of Art and
Musicology as well as field of Literature and Film. The department has
been an open minded what comes to interdisciplinary studies and also
uses expertise from the other disciplines for example in the activities of
the graduate school.
The third task (or obligation) of the university is well done by the department:
there are many publications which have been focused to the public.
Several scholars have been able and willing to have the close connection
to the media. When all this “openness” is happening without any problems
with the quality of the research, it is of course a real asset to the
department and an evidence of the relevance to the present society.
In terms of collaboration the department is very good.
6.5 Research activity and teaching
The teaching staff is highly competent and is able to do own research and
guide younger researchers in various time periods and on different themes.
The department is effective in its research activities. The activity shows
amongst other things in the rate of the publications. An innovation is
the Advanced Seminar, which connects the younger and the established
researchers together and makes possible to present new ideas and to have
comments on different kinds of writings. This kind of good practices
should be disseminated to the other departments too.
The research orientation of the department keeps the research and
teaching closely connected to each other. The doctoral students have the
possibility to teach the undergraduates, which is also an effective form of
doctoral training. The department seems to have utilized the possibilities
of the Graduate School in this matter.
6.6 Evaluation of future plans
The research plan of the department is well formulated and it comes
to the core of the field of history. The research projects are adequately
integrated to each other and they also gives room for overlapping ideas
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and new thoughts. The department has proved to be able to put the plan
into practice.
“Continuity” is the key concept, which helps to understand the department
plans for the future. The department looks well-grounded peacefully
to the future, because the main structures and infrastructure are
well built and flexible. The department has not in its plan of the future
tried to change the whole strategy but is building new areas of interest on
the ground of the older ones. This is a good solution and very well argued.
One interesting point is, however, the underlined aspiration to in the
future take even more than today the contemporary problems as starting
points. A good point is to address the role of the postdoctoral researchers
and the improvement of their career, this kind of planning should in the
future do even more at the faculty level too.
The plans of the department are excellent.
6.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The department has promising possibilities to develop its activities even
in the future. The report shows that the department is well managed and
sufficiently interested in strategic work. The holders of the most important
posts will be active in working life still a quite a long time and this continuity
ensures that the most fruitful research areas shall be strengthen.
As said before, the co-operation within the faculty should be strengthened.
The Graduate School in History has a remarkable potential and this
well-managed school can open new possibilities even for the post doctoral
research activities. However, the department should develop its “exit
strategy” for the graduate school and also a strategy for the post doctoral
researchers. There is also lot to win by connecting the doctoral student
and their themes more closely to the main areas of the research done
within the department. For instance, the Department has been a very
strong centre of research in the early modern period and this excellence
should be maintained.
The department has promoted the permanent staff by funding the participation
to international conferences. This good practice should keep on.
If the department has the resources this practice should be expanded also
to the post doctoral researchers because this group is commonly in key
position in internationalization: they usually have the best possibilities to
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go abroad, and apparently have the newest knowledge and also energy to
disseminate the new findings.
6.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
In general, the gender balance is good in the department, although there
are varieties between different groups of staff.
7. Research Area Literature
(Centre for Languages and Literature)
7.1 Overall assessment
The Research Area Literature at the Centre for Languages and Literature
comprises three sub areas: 1) Literature Sciences or Comparative
Literature (15 employees); 2) Foreign Literatures and Area Studies (18);
3) Film Studies (6); plus an 80% employed lecturer in Theatre Science,
and a 50% employed teacher in journalism. There are overlaps between
the areas 1) and 2) to the extent that research in comparative literature
includes foreign literature. The distribution between the various
foreign literatures and area studies is: Arabic (1), Chinese (1), English
(6), French (2), Polish (1), Romanian (1), Russian (4), Spanish (2). If
the various part time employments are taken into consideration, the
volume of research in Comparative Literature approximately equals the
volume of research in foreign literatures and area studies. As it was also
underscored in Högskoleverket’s Evaluation of programs in literature
and rhetoric at higher education institutions in Sweden (2006:13 R)
Comparative Literature in the Swedish context is to a fairly high degree
synonymous with research in Swedish literature. This is also the case in
Lund.
The Centre for Languages and Literatures is the result of a recent restructuring
(2006) that has brought research in Comparative Literature and
together with research in foreign literatures. This makes good sense. Yet
the number of employees in foreign literatures is surprisingly low. There
are no positions in the fields of German literature, of Italian literature, of
Turkish literature, of Japanese literature, and more could be mentioned.
At the department as a whole there are: Linguistics: 19 professors, 52 lectures;
Literature: 9 professors, 22 lecturers; Film: 1 professor, 6 lecturers;
Area studies: 2 professors, 3 lecturers. The research volume in languages
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is thus about the double of the research volume in literature. According
to the report this is a result of the politics of the former Departments.
The allocation of resources to the fields of literature, film and area studies
should not perpetuate a similar politics, but rather be based on recognition
of the importance and relevance of these areas.
Within the international field research at the division is roughly of two
sorts, on one hand predominantly literary, on the other hand of a broader
kind that includes intellectual culture and political issues – this is the
case not only in the fields of Chinese and Central- and East-European
studies, but also in Spanish, whereas French and English studies concentrate
on literature and literary theory.
The revenue from Undergraduate education is about 20% down in 2007
from 2006. The government faculty resources are about 15% down, yet
most striking is the reduction of grants for research from kSEK 9076 to
kSEK3385, i.e. 40% in 2007 compared to 2006.
The panel has no information about the number of PhD exams in the
research area, the number provided of PhDs at SOL-centre as whole is of
no significance.
Since there are significant differences between the research activities of
the three sub sections, an overall assessment is not to the point. Below
each of the sections will be dealt with separately.
7.2 Research infrastructure
The restructuring that has brought research in foreign literatures together
with comparative literature, film, and area studies has initiated a fruitful
process of collaboration that has a great potential. The institutionalization
of a research board for these fields facilitates decisions and initiatives.
The distribution of research volume is uneven, though. Compared to
the resources for research in linguistics, the allocation of resources for
literature, film, foreign cultures and area studies is remarkably low.
Except for English studies the number of researchers in foreign literatures
and cultures is minimal or even nil (e.g. German, Italian).
The physical and technological surroundings are excellent and so are the
library facilities.
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7.3 Research Quality
The numerical indicators provided for the research area (i.e. the information
corresponding to Form 3: Quantitative summary of activities and academic
reputation) are partial, only information about a limited number of
individuals has been available, and the lacking information is not accessible
at the individual homepages. The lists of publications are not always up to
date. The information at hand is thus somewhat incoherent and partial.
There are obvious differences in the research activity of the various subsections
of the division. Area studies and foreign literature studies stand
out as particularly successful.
Since a very high proportion of publications are books or contributions to
books, a bibliometric emphasis on output in terms of articles in journals
is not adequate.
Productivity: In foreign literatures and area studies the general pattern is
that the professors are highly productive, whereas lecturers publish very
little, in some cases nothing at all. The outputs of some of the professors
are very impressive, Enkvist in Spanish has more than 70 publications,
including 10 books (of which some apparently are the same in Swedish
and Spanish); Schoenhals in Chinese studies has next to 40 publications,
among them a major book in the field; Thormählen in English has 17
publications, among them 3 books; Törnqvist-Plewa in Central- and
Eastern European studies has 22 publications, including a book, and
Larsson in French has 17 publications, including a book.
In comparative literature the pattern is somewhat different. The predominant
– and quite reasonable – level is 9–10 publication, in some cases
including a book or editorship of one or more books. There are exceptions
to this pattern though. The productivity of the professors as a group does
not stand out compared to the most productive lecturers and researchers
– it should be added, though, that there are striking differences in output
among the professors.
In film studies the only professor, Erik Hedling, stand out with an output
of 43 publications, among these the first published monograph on Lindsay
Anderson and several anthologies. The research output among the
lecturers and researchers is very varied and uneven, from the questionable
to the recommendable.
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Research quality: There are obvious differences when it comes to the
degree of internationalization. Whereas research in foreign literatures and
area studies to a great extent is published in international publications
(journals, publishing houses), and there are several examples of international
impact, the majority of the research in comparative literature is on
the other hand published in Sweden and predominantly in Swedish – with
notable exceptions, though. In film studies the main tendency in publications
is to publish in Swedish and to a large extent on Swedish subjects.
However, here too there are notable exceptions (se below). There seems to
be a commitment to strengthen international publication in this area.
In comparative literature most of the research is on Swedish subjects,
although there are exceptions – among them a book on Bertolt Brecht.
Contributions to literary theory are mostly on the receptive side (including
textbooks), there are only a few examples of contributions to the
international debate – among them a substantial survey and discussion
of questions related to the writing of global literary history highlighted
in the report and written as a contribution to the impressive Swedish
research project on the writing of the history of world literature, that was
published in four volumes in English. In the field of foreign literatures
there are a number of contributions to the international theoretical
debate published in foreign languages, e.g. contributions to a publication
on ‘modernism’ edited by the English section; a fine essay on questions
concerning representation and fictionality from the French section, and
several contributions from Arab studies to the world literature project
mentioned above.
Research in comparative literature holds the national standard. Area studies
and studies in foreign literatures are strong not only nationally but also
internationally – to mention only two examples: the work of Marianne
Thormählen has been well received in English studies in the English
speaking world; Michael Schoenhals is considered to be among the leading
authorities in the field of the history of the Chinese Communist Party.
Through his publications in English Erik Hedling has managed to establish
himself as an internationally respected researcher in Film Studies. His output
functions as a solid backbone for the research activities in film studies.
Relevance: As mentioned above research in comparative literature in
Sweden has – in particular in recent decades – mostly been on Swedish
subjects and with a view of the Swedish reading public and educational
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system. This is obviously an important aspect of literary studies, yet
research in literature and broader cultural issues should no less contribute
to knowledge about foreign areas and questions that go across nations and
areas. The discipline was conceived with a view of similar questions, and
the urgency of cultural exchanges across the borders is no less obvious
today than in the time of the pioneers.
The relevance of area studies is exactly to provide insight in the world
beyond the borders of the nation, as well as to contribute to international
research. In both of the area studies in Lund as well as in Spanish studies
this is done very well. Foreign literatures are crucial for an understanding
of foreign cultures and contexts for political and social issues, as well as for
insight in general aspects of human life. One would stress, though, that
there is a historical dimension to this and that research in periods earlier
than 1800 is scarcely represented.
With a view of the central cultural role of movies during next to a century
and the prominent status of Swedish film, research in this area is of obvious
importance, and the section has contributed to research in Swedish
film as well as in international film not only for a national, but also for an
international public.
Vitality: The research output as well as the lively participation in national,
regional and international conferences, bears witness to a productive and
committed research milieu. Yet in this respect too, there are differences:
Schoenhals, Enkvist and Törnquist-Plewa stand out as particularly active
participants in the international scholarly community.
Internally at the section regular seminars bring scholars from the former
individual departments together in an effort to develop common intellectual
frames and potential projects. There are all reasons to believe that the
interaction between research communities with different traditions will be
productive.
The research quality of Comparative Literature is good; the research quality
of Film Studies is very good; the research quality of Foreign Literatures
and Area Studies is excellent.
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7.4 Collaboration
Collective projects are prominent in film studies, and there are examples
of international collaboration (like a guest-edited volume of an international
journal and two anthologies). Individuals from Film Studies in Lund
have been active in the establishment of the European Network for Film
and Media Studies (NECS) and will be hosting the 2009 Conference of
that organization.
Some scholars in comparative literature and foreign literatures have as
mentioned above been involved in an internationally published joint
4-volume publication at the background of a national Swedish project on
questions concerning the writing of the history of world literature, among
the international contributors are a number of leading scholars. A volume
based on a conference in Lund on the concept of modernism has similarly
brought several prominent international scholars together with contributors
from Lund. In area studies internal collaboration and interdepartmental
collaboration is prominent. In this respect too Schoenhals stands
out a member of the boards of 7 international journals.
Particularly in the field of comparative literature an intensification of the
participation in the international scholarly community is desirable.
Internal collaboration in the research area is very good; in terms of external
collaboration Comparative Literature is good, Film Studies as well as
Foreign Literatures and Area Studies are very good.
7.5 Research activity and teaching
The writing of text books for teaching is a striking feature in the pattern
of publications particularly in comparative literature. Depending on the
point of view this may be taken as an indication of concern for teaching
or as a problematic emphasis on second hand activity rather than an
emphasis on primary research.
With a view of the scarcity of researchers it is surprising that highly
qualified researchers in the fields of foreign literatures and area studies are
teaching language courses.
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7.6 Evaluation of future plans
The plans for the future articulated in the report (2.4) from the section
are quite limited. Only two projects are mentioned, one concerning
performativity of literature in Sweden 1800–2008 involving seven scholars
from the section (all probably from comparative literature), another
concerning ‘Literary Public Spheres’ involving scholars from a number of
areas at the section.
Performativity is a subject that attracts quite a lot of attention internationally,
yet the restriction to Sweden is in line with the questionable
priorities in comparative literature. The second project to the contrary
represents an excellent integration of qualifications and points to a very
interesting question at the international level. This project has received
support for further development from the faculty level.
The joint projects in film studies that are listed elsewhere in the report
involve more scholars in national questions than in international.
The strategic planning as it appears in the report is clearly insufficient,
although there is a very brief indication that plans “are underway to give
areas studies a firmer theoretical and methodological base inside the
CLL” (2.1).
The average level of the plans in the research area is good.
7.7 Future potentials and possibilities
There is a relatively even over all distribution of age within the spans
30–40 (9), 40–50 (14), 50–60 (11), 60–(10), none of the employees are
more than 65, 4 professors are in their sixties. Yet such numbers tell very
little about the situation in the various fields. Although it is not the task
of the panel to go into details about this, but it should be underscored.
1) that the staff in the research area (including Swedish and international
literature, area studies and film studies) is only half the size of the staff in
the research area of languages
2) that there are areas without any staff, although they should be covered
at a comprehensive university as Lund University; German and Italian
literature and culture are perhaps the most striking examples, yet with
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a view of the present and future European development at least Turkish
culture should be covered too.
The university should provide the entire research area with additional
economic resources within the frame of a plan for future development.
A stronger internationalization of comparative literature could be one
aspect of a similar plan, e.g. by appointing scholars with qualifications
in comparative literature with special emphasis on German and Italian
literature and culture respectively. A stronger development in the direction
of area studies seems desirable, i.e. an integration of literary studies
in broader cultural and socio-historical studies. With a view of the
foreseeable role of China in the future, it would also seem appropriate to
expand Chinese studies into the cultural field.
One university must not necessarily cover all fields, but the sporadic representation
of American studies at Sweden’s largest university is striking.
There are a few scholars at the section that work on or have published on
US-related subjects, but the field ought to have a higher priority. Film
and media studies and studies in popular culture in general could be one
corner stone – this is but one reason to strengthen film studies.
Latin American studies are also scarcely represented, although the culture
of the area is closely linked to European (and US-) culture, and the
economic and political role of the continent is on the rise. The absence of
studies in Japanese culture is already pointed out.
The reduction of research grants from 2006 to 2007 gives reasons for
care. An intensification of work on applications for external funding is
an obvious task, yet the university should simultaneously secure stable
research activity in the important fields covered by the research area.
Although no strong strategic plans or visions are articulated in the report,
there are obvious potentials in the combinations of qualifications at the
section. A number of scholars across the fields are working on media and
popular culture. One possible project could be to develop humanistic
studies in media and popular culture. A number of scholars are working
on aspects of intellectual history, in some cases in relation to political
questions in the present. Area studies that include similar questions and
interact with history and the social sciences are an obvious way to bring
qualifications, among them the language skills, at the department in
play. Centres for e.g. European Studies, for Central- and East European
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Studies, for Middle East Studies, and for Asian Studies could be crucial
organizational structures for a similar development and should probably
have a prominent place in strategic planning. In general a broadening of
the horizon to include other aspects of cultural history than literature is
an advantage – also in literary studies proper.
7.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The number of females employed equals the number of men, out of 11
professors 6 are women, out of 23 lecturers 11 are women.
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PANEL 4 – LANGUAGES / PHILOSOPHY
CONTENTS
1. Centre for Languages and Literature (SOL) – Languages..............................130
2. Department of Philosophy..........................................................................137
1. Centre for Languages and Literature (SOL)
– Languages
1.1 Overall assessment
Considering all four subcriteria of research quality (quality, productivity,
relevance and vitality), our overall rating is good (not far from very good).
1.2 Research infrastructure
The number of academic staff in March 2007 was 65 of which 18 are professors
and 30 senior lecturers. Linguistics (including phonetics) with a personnel
of 13 and Swedish with 16 are the two big subjects, all other languages
must be considered small. Surprisingly, English has a personnel of only 6
and no professor in the English language. That lack should be remedied.
The establishment of the Centre for Languages and Literature (SOL) in
2006 was an important, far-sighted, highly commendable step in consolidating
and profiling the existing resources: personnel, libraries, and
technical equipment alike. For such major reorganizations to take full
force, they require 5–10 years of accommodation as well as formation of
new cross-disciplinary networks and research profiles. This process is now
in its mid infancy and should be strongly supported.
The Humanities Laboratory is a valuable research resource that has already
facilitated innovative cross-disciplinary research, and will increasingly
continue to do so. It is a major generator of external funding. It should
be a primary aim of the relevant faculties to determine the organizational
status of the Humanities Laboratory and secure its funding on a permanent
basis.
Less impressive is the amount of funding (SEK 250.000 per annum)
made available by SOL for researchers to disseminate their findings
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through working paper publication and at international conferences and
other events, both within the University and outside it. This amounts to
some SEK 4.000 per staff member; or to put it another way, less than 1%
of the reported research income of SEK 31 mio. It is clearly insufficient,
especially given our comments below about the importance of dissemination
at international conferences.
1.3 Research quality
Quality. A citation analysis (AHCI + SSCI + expanded SCI) was conducted
for 130+ Lund researchers in Languages listed on the respective
official home pages. Less than a handful have more than 100 citations
and two have more than 200. Linguistics and Swedish had the highest
mean citation rates, though there are wide individual differences and
some researchers in other disciplines were cited at significantly higher
than average rates. These results are not outstanding. For comparison, the
most cited Nordic linguists (languages, general linguistics and phonetics
included) have a few thousand citations and some five Swedish linguists
have more than 500 citations.
Given the operational criteria of this evaluation, we judge the research
quality as in some cases excellent but mostly very good or good. There are
a few publications with high international impact, especially in general
linguistics (including generative and cognitive linguistics), phonetics,
Nordic languages, language acquisition and Romance languages. Many
publications find their most interested readership in a predominantly
Nordic or Swedish context and are published accordingly. This said, it
must be kept in mind that the Nordic context is the primary one for
Nordic languages. Quality is not only a matter of impact, but also of
originality and innovative power. Some of the publications that we were
sent to evaluate were clearly at the leading edge of current research, excellent
in terms of innovation as well as impact, but the larger picture is one
of research that is of sound quality rather than high originality.
Productivity. There is a welcome positive trend over the past five years
for SOL as a whole in the publication rate of papers in refereed journals:
21, 22, 22, 32, 27, 35. However, as these figures also include the literature
teachers, and as the number of professors in Languages is 18 and that of
senior lecturers 30, the average productivity is at the most a modest ½
peer-reviewed journal article per senior person year. The figures for books
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published also suggest need for analysis and concern: 6, 12, 17, 14, 12, 7.
The number of conference papers is around 120 for the five-year period,
the number of book chapters a reasonable 180. On the average, every
researcher produced some two publications a year. The curves for external
funding of all types distressingly point downwards.
As stated in the self-evaluation report, SOL has four topical research
groups or more loose networks: grammar, language acquisition, semantics,
cognitive linguistics – the presentation of cognitive linguistics is sketchy.
This is somewhat counterbalanced by a distressing decrease in the number
and amount of funding, professors, PhD’s, and doctoral students. Especially
the decrease of new PhD’s over the past five years is alarming: 20, 38,
19, 17, 18, 12. In part, this is related to a general decline in the interest for
language and linguistic studies in several Nordic countries, in part to the
detrimental consequences of nationwide trends and policies.
These averages for productivity (which are overall good) conceal major
differences between individuals and groups, as is evidenced also by the
wide inter-individual disparities in citation rates.
The idea in the self-evaluation to increase local publication channels
(departmental series etc) is not commendable as the university-wide
strategic aim is to attain the highest standard in research and education,
even if there is a need for an outlet for PhD dissertations.
Relevance. The relevance of the work is good or very good both as regards
theory and applications. The latter include e.g. language acquisition,
clinical linguistics, and the voice characteristics of aging people.
Vitality and organisational capacity. The current number of professors
is 18, that of doctoral students 34, i.e. on the average less than two per
professor. This ratio is very favorable indeed but must not go further
down if existential questions about the future of some subjects or individual
positions are to be avoided.
The age and career stage profile of permanent staff in Languages and
Linguistics gives cause for concern. The report draws attention to the
large number of highly competent researchers on soft money, but it is also
clear that most recruitment to permanent positions is internal rather than
external. A major indicator of vitality and organizational capacity is the
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existence of an articulated and coherent recruitment and retention policy
for high quality young and mid-career researchers. There is no evidence
that such a policy has been developed.
The initial attitude on the part of the Languages to the evaluation exercise
was not very favorable. The self-evaluation stated that the upcoming
exercise was superfluous and detrimental to the efficient use of time.
However, during the site visit, the evaluators perceived the attitude as
much more positive and learned i.a. about the important planned crossdisciplinary
functions of the “Research Colleges” (forskningskollegier)
that had not been clearly described in the self-evaluation.
There were no clear indications in the self-evaluation that the suggestions
from the 2004 evaluation of Humanities and Theology would have been
discussed in detail, but the site visit disproved this impression. The 2004
evaluation exercise had indeed been a major impetus for the reorganization
of the former independent language departments as SOL. Anyhow,
there is a certain lack of strategic vision evident in the current documentation,
and a tendency to over-reliance on infrastructure such as the
Humanities Laboratory (important in itself) as a substitute for strategic
thinking. Overall, vitality and organizational capacity are good.
1.4 Collaboration
The establishment of SOL is a major, highly commendable, enterprise,
explicitly oriented to increasing interdisciplinary collaboration. This
initiative has ramifications well beyond the borders between the traditional
language disciplines, extending into many types of research in
culture, cognition and communication. It presupposes a methodological
reorientation which needs at least a decade for reaching a state of mature
fruition. It is extremely important to provide sufficient funding as SOL
still is in its founding phase.
It is equally important that the fostering of collaboration within SOL
should not be at the expense of developing inter-institutional links between
SOL and other research entities at Lund University. There should
be a high level of responsiveness to internationally vibrant and growing
areas of interdisciplinary collaboration, such as language, culture and
cognition, and language-based area studies, with effective mechanisms
for encouraging their development in Lund.
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There are internal theoretical conflicts, especially between the generative
linguistic and the other, more usage-oriented approaches. This puts a
strain on the formulation of a common strategy and also on curriculum
construction, giving the impression that strategic thinking is not a priority.
We do not recommend any attempt to prioritise one theoretical approach
over another, since the likely outcome of this would be destructive, divisive
and unproductive. A more fruitful way forward would be to identify
theoretically or practically driven research topics that can potentially be
brought together under more general themes, and to promote fruitful
interchange around these thematised topics. In some ways this approach is
already practiced: for example, in the field of language acquisition, researchers
tend to cooperate well, despite differences in theoretical orientation.
The international dimension of collaboration involving members of SOL
is excellent, including conference organization activities, editorships,
memberships in academies and learned societies, evaluations for lectureships
and professorships, and number of visitors coming and going.
We rate the overall level and results of collaboration very good.
1.5 Research activity and teaching
As stated in the self-evaluation report, the relation between research and
teaching is stronger in Nordic languages and general linguistics than in
foreign languages. There are, however, successful examples of incorporating
research perspectives in undergraduate teaching of foreign languages.
With SOL’s strong language acquisition researchers, this should be
done more systematically. We rate the relation between research activity
and teaching as good.
1.6 Evaluation of future plans
The plans are mostly in the spirit of continuing and extending work
that has turned out to be successful so far in the frameworks mentioned
above. The major new foci are microvariation in generative syntax,
computerization of language acquisition research and (somewhat
unspecific) possible topics to be addressed by the methodology offered by
the Humanist Laboratory. Surprisingly, the major new future research
opportunities are claimed to be language policies and politics, minority
languages, language problems of immigrants and other similar problems.
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The self-evaluation report does not mention Sven Strömqvist’s involvement
in an application for an interdisciplinary research project entitled
“Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning”, which is
one of Lund University’s candidates for the Swedish Research Council’s
Linnaean grants 2007–2008 and is bound to be of strategic significance
if funded; 8 nor does it mention the participation of a team led by Jordan
Zlatev in the EU 6th Framework PATHFINDER project “Stages in the
Evolution and Development of Sign Use”, a major interdisciplinary project
funded under the theme of “What it means to be human”. The absence of
the profiling of language and cognition (an area researched by individuals
with generative, cognitive and functional approaches) is puzzling.
Our overall rating of the future plans in their present form is good (not far
from very good).
1.7 Recommendations
The consolidation of the current initial phase of SOL should be strongly
supported, including the cross-disciplinary “Research Colleges” (forskarkollegierna).
SOL does have great future potential if it develops a coherent strategy (or
set of strategies), but not if it continues to drift. Its potential for Cross
Boundary Initiatives is high, with some researchers already taking such
initiatives. This should be recognised and encouraged.
The future focus areas of SOL should be discussed. Reasonable candidates
are linguistic theory (not any particular one), language and cognition,
and language acquisition.
Some excellent work is done at SOL but there is a problem concerning
unevenness of quality. Attention should be paid to promoting quality,
including the selection of publication fora. Research productivity should
be enhanced.
8. For clarity we mention that this application is indeed mentioned in the Dean’s report
“Research in Humanities and Theology”. On June 18 2008 the Swedish Research Council
(Vetenskapsrådet) decided to grant Linnaean funding to this project.
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The Humanities Laboratory is a valuable research resource that has
already facilitated innovative cross-disciplinary research, and will
increasingly continue to do so. The Laboratory is an excellent humanistic
answer to the demand of the central university management for crossdisciplinary
research. The Laboratory is a major generator of external
funding. It should be a primary aim of SOL and the Area of Humanities
and Theology to determine the organizational status of the Humanities
Laboratory, to lay down its long-term strategies, and to secure its funding
on a permanent basis. Other faculties and the central management of
Lund University should be actively engaged in the planning, work and
financing of the Laboratory. The leader of the Laboratory should be given
status and power of a department leader. An international advisory board
for the Laboratory is needed.
More funds should be allocated to mobility and international contacts.
A large number of senior staff are close to retirement age. This is an opportunity
to think about recruitment strategy, about whether replacements
should be at full professor level or lower. Replacement positions should
be widely externally advertised. Student recruitment should also be taken
into account. The worst thing would be for particular disciplines just to
fade away just because a professor retires, although it would be reasonable
for SOL to ponder whether the full current range of disciplines can be
supported by chairs.
There should be a recruitment and retention strategy for developing
junior and mid career researchers.
There should be a system for encouraging and incentivizing more grant
acquisition.
A research mentoring system could be instituted to diffuse better the
good practices (in e.g. publishing) and enthusiasm of the most productive
researchers.
The high proportion of part-timers and people on temporary contracts is
counter-productive and in the long run detrimental both for individuals
and for departments.
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Serious problems are caused by the shortage of PhD positions in both
linguistics, language subjects and literature (a problem that recurs in the
three philosophical subjects and elsewhere).
Interdisciplinarity is important and it should be fostered institutionally,
but not at the cost of losing discipline strength.
2. Department of Philosophy
The Philosophical Institute comprises three sections or departments
corresponding to as many university subjects - Theoretical Philosophy,
Practical Philosophy and Cognitive Science (which can only be studied at
an advanced level).
The permanent and temporary staff in all three sections adds up to about
20, roughly evenly spread over the three disciplines. (The information
at our disposal gives conflicting numbers and owing to the distribution
of researchers over (part-time) temporary and permanent posts it is not
possible for us to determine the exact figures.) The research achievement
is impressive. In Cognitive Science and Practical Philosophy the research
is guided by world leaders in their respective disciplines (Decision
Theory, Belief Revision Theory, Value Theory). Their status is confirmed
by book publications with prominent international publishing
houses, articles in high level journals, frequent invitations to speak, or
serve on the programme committees, at international conferences, and
memberships in national and international learned societies as well as
Editorial Boards of prominent journals. Lund has long been a home to
distinguished researchers applying formal methods to concepts in value
and decision theory, and such expertise is also present elsewhere in the
University. Thanks to the recent appointment of a professor of Theoretical
Philosophy the application of formal methods within epistemology
will complement the formal approaches to value and decision theory.
All in all, a uniquely strong constellation is present that allows fruitful
cross-fertilization of research, and has also enabled younger researchers
to establish firm international research profiles with publications in top
journals such as Mind and the Journal of Philosophy; indeed, permanent
staff-members all either have, or are close to professorial competence.
The research in theoretical philosophy has an impressively wide scope.
It covers metaphysics and ontology, a welcome addition to Swedish
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philosophical research, and epistemology, thanks to the recent appointment
in Theoretical Philosophy.
Productivity is reasonable – ca 40 publications a year on average – which,
given the current level of staffing (some 20 staff members) roughly
amounts to 2 publications a year on average per staff-member, a quite
respectable, though not remarkable result. However, in the light of the
complex staff composition this might actually be a significantly better
result in that not all researchers seem to have had the customary 40 %
research time at their disposal. (We lack the information needed to be
more precise). It should be stressed that a large number of researchers
publish in highly reputable journals.
The research has the relevance peculiar to a number of theoretical disciplines.
It contributes to replenishing the reservoir of critical thinking in
the public domain and the body politic and to maintaining awareness of
the achievements and failures of Western thought. When these contributions
continue to be made their beneficial effects are scarcely noticed,
because then things function as they ought. When they are lacking
society speedily goes off the rails – elementary canons of practical and
theoretical rationality are ignored or flouted in political, economic and
cultural debate.
The Institute has been managed well, in a highly cooperative spirit that
has been conducive to creating a fruitful research atmosphere, over the
past six or seven years. The creative and innovative use of an impressively
restored Institute building, which includes a splendid Library, has created
a strong esprit de corps among the researchers, as has the excellent example
of senior researchers who spend their research time in the Institute. The
infrastructure could hardly be bettered, and as far as motivation, ability,
and initiative are concerned the Institute’s closely-knit research group
is a very strong one. The strength of the Institute, however, is severely
threatened by its very heavy dependence on external funding.
The well-housed and well-run Institute has a permanent staff of less than
ten researchers, two of whom are world leaders, a third of prominent
international standing, and all of solid international standing, with good
international publications and personal research networks, regularly
participating in and organizing international conferences. It regularly
receives external funding and has attracted very able junior permanent
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and part-time members. A distinguished foreign colleague said of it: ‘One
of the two best philosophy departments in Continental Europe’. (The
other one referred to was Barcelona.) We lack the means to substantiate
the statement, but are inclined to think it not implausible. To the best of
our knowledge, the Institute’s great international presence and the impact
of its top-level research make it the foremost Philosophy department in
Sweden. Its research contribution deserves to be called outstanding.
The Institute rightly notes that (lack of) funding constitutes a serious
obstacle to the development of Ph D training; the number of available
positions is very low indeed. This means that neither a Nachwuchs nor
continuation of the present high level of research can be guaranteed – a
lost opportunity and a grave threat. The lack of Ph D students might also
be the cause of grave injustice to otherwise perfectly competent candidates
for promotion to professorships. We have been given to understand that
one requirement for such promotion, supervision of a successful doctoral
candidate, is – in practice – impossible to satisfy. To maintain this requirement
in a situation where there has been a four year (plus) moratorium of
Faculty supported PhD positions appears to be monstrously unjust.
Furthermore, many (perhaps even most) members of the Institute are
employed, either part-time, or on a temporary (project-related) basis that
is externally financed. Also a number of researchers hold permanent
part-time teaching positions in the department and supplement this with
external research funding. According to the most recent information
given to us about 50 % of the staff-members are employed on a temporary
basis, on contracts that will terminate in the immediate future,
during the calendar year 2008. It is therefore impossible for us to make a
considered judgement about the - in themselves quite reasonable – plans
for future research. From the information available to us it is very unclear
which staff-members will continue to be employed. As the Institute itself
notes, this is a most unsatisfactory situation and one which patently
constitutes a serious threat to effective planning and realization of its
research potential.
The present outstanding level of research is to a very large extent due
to the presence of outstanding leaders; both were recruited prior to the
recent reforms of the Swedish corps of Professors. Both leaders will, in the
normal course of affairs, reach retirement age, either within the coming
five-year period, or shortly thereafter. It is obviously a sine qua non for
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the research of the Institute that they have successors at a comparable
level of full professor who are internationally eminent researchers appointed
in open competition. Accordingly we recommend that funding
be reserved already at this stage to ensure that such appointments will be
financially possible.
The interaction between Cognitive Science and the rest of the Institute has
been beneficial; this is no surprise given that the Chair-holder has a strong
research background in Belief Revision Theory, Group Decision Theory
and Intensional Logic that is highly relevant to research in theoretical and
practical philosophy as currently done at Lund. However, in the light of
the ever-increasing importance of empirical work in Cognitive Science,
tension between the aims and methods of cognitive science and those of
philosophy seems to be a risk which the Institute should be aware of.
The Institute finds the current faculty structure to be a hindrance to its
cross-disciplinary efforts and ambitions; today, in Lund as well as internationally,
Philosophy is by no means confined only to partners within
the Humanities. Psychology, Medicine, Medical Ethics, Physics, Biology,
Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, Political Science,
Gender Studies, etc., can all be readily envisaged as more likely partners
in research than the traditional humanities disciplines. We have been
given to understand, though, by colleagues from Philosophy and other
disciplines, that crossing Faculty borders is impossible owing to practically
insuperable financial and administrative obstacles; if more than
mere lip-service is going to be paid to the ideal of cross-disciplinarity,
some action is obviously called for at this point. It is worth noting that,
from 1965 until 1999, Philosophy in Dutch Universities had the status of
a ‘Central Interfaculty’ precisely in order to facilitate cross-fertilization
of research across the whole of the university and not only within the humanities.
Given the existence of a 10 th section at Lund perhaps a similar
arrangement would constitute a definite improvement.
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PANEL 5 – BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE
CONTENTS
1. Department of Psychology..........................................................................141
2. Department of Education...........................................................................145
3. Department of Media and Communication Studies.....................................151
4. Additional Report on Malmö Academy of Music.........................................155
1. Department of Psychology
1.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Psychology has a strong research profile in many
areas of psychology, with up-to-date laboratories and with access to
advanced research equipment at the University Hospital. The organization
into Divisions within the Department, reflecting the major research
areas, is a strong organizational move that facilitates research organization
at the Department while at the same time encouraging intramural
collaborations between the Divisions. The Department obviously has
an attractive PhD programme that brings in many students, also from
abroad. The number of PhD dissertations is also good for the period 2002
–2007. The PhD programme seems overall to be in good standing, with a
steady output of dissertations. The percentage of women finishing a PhD
degree is excellent, with close to or more than 50% over the time period
covered in the evaluation. The mean age of the candidates is, however,
somewhat high. with a mean age of 43 years for the time period covered.
The median age would perhaps have been more important than the mean
age when evaluating the progress of the candidates.
A weakness is that too few of the academic staff have external research
funding, as also acknowledged in the self-evaluation provided by the Department.
The ratio of external grants to academic staff is less than SEK
40K/year for the time period 2003–2007, with no major EU funding,
or funding from other major international grant providers. Considering
the obvious opportunities for advanced research at the Department, with
several academic staff members conducting excellent research, a more active
approach to attracting international funding (or funding from major
national ”excellence” programs) would be within reach. The Evaluation
Panel therefore recommends that the Department strategically facilitates
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procedures for researchers to seek major international funding, e.g. from
the EU 7th Framework Programme, or the newly established European
Research Council (ERC). It also seems important that all Divisions have
enough senior researchers to supervise and guide young PhD candidates
and postdocs, also when it comes to grant proposal writing.
Taken together, the Department is given an overall rating of ‘very good’,
with the Division of Clinical Psychology rated as ‘excellent’ The key senior
members of the Division of Clinical Psychology, Lars Gunnar Lundh and
Etzel Cardena have very good citation figures, as listed in the ISI Web of
Science. They have also published in high quality journals within their
field and have contributed significantly to psychotherapy research in
Sweden. The Divison of Neuropsychology comes close to excellence, and
especially if the current trend of publications in high prestige journals,
like the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience and Cerebral Cortex, is also
upheld in the future.
1.2 Research infrastructure
The Department of Psychology is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences
at Lund University. The Department employs a total academic staff of
50 as per March 2007, corresponding to 42 full-time equivalents. The
mean age is 52 years, with 42% women among the academic staff. The
Department carries out comprehensive research, teaching and clinical
activity. The total number of students reaches ca. 1300 yearly. The most
comprehensive course of studies offered is the Master’s Programme in
Professional Psychology, a five-year program. The department offers 30
free-standing courses each year at basic and advanced levels. The doctoral
program comprises a total of 240 Swedish credits (the equivalent of 4 years
full-time study). The Department has 50 doctoral students. Research
at the Department of Psychology is organized into 6 divisions, Division
of Clinical Psychology, Division of Cognition, Division of Developmental
Psychology, Division of Neuropsychology, Division of Personality and
Social Psychology, Division of Work- and Organizational Psychology.
1.3 Collaboration
The Department has witnessed a welcome broadening of research
activity during the last decade, with an increase in inter-departmental
collaboration between the different Divisions. Researchers at the
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Department have extended collaborations with clinical neurosciences,
psychiatry, logopedics and pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine, and
with researchers in linguistics, cognitive science, mathematical statistics,
and sociology of law. Researchers at the Department also take part in
collaborations, e.g. in projects conducted within the Centre for Research
on People, Technology and Change at Work, UNIVA, School of Economics,
and School of Work Environment. Extramural collaborations
include national and international collaborations in developmental
psychology (almost all the other Swedish universities, University College
of Kristianstad, Malmö University College, Center for Lifespan
Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin,
University of Oslo, and Neurobehavioral Infant and Child Studies and
Child Development Unit, both at Harvard Medical School in Boston),
cognitive neuroscience (Universität des Saarlandes in Saarbrücken,
Rikshospitalet in Oslo and Berkeley), linguistics (Oslo), early brain
development (Institute for Nutrition Research, Oslo), forensic psychology
(University College of Kristianstad, Göteborg University), creative
knowledge (Göteborg University).
The Department of Psychology thus no doubt has extended contacts with
other researchers connected to the profiles of research at the Department,
both nationally and internationally. As part of the collaboration between
the different Divisions at the Department, several of the academic staff
are also members of more than one Division and they also move between
Divisions when appropriate for the research questions being pursued.
1.4 Research activity and teaching
The Department has the ambition to integrate teaching and research
by tailoring course menus to fit with the different research areas in the
Divisions. Courses are taught based on literature and teaching rooted in
international research and research literature. Student essays are often
written within existing research projects, while PhD students may chose
whether they want to join existing research projects, or pursue their own
research plans. The background documents do not explicitly list the
number of postdoc positions at the Department. Postdoc positions are
important in terms of bridging between the PhD and the professorial
levels of research, and may provide the opportunity for a Division to go
deeper into its research questions than a PhD thesis project will allow,
and when the teaching load of the senior staff members prevents full-time
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devotion to research, with teaching load being a weakness, as stated in
the self-evaluation.
When it comes to research productivity and quality, the Department of
Psychology has published 394 strict scientific publication and 139 other
publications in the time period 2002 - 2007. With an average of 39 fulltime
academic staff in the same time period, the Department’s academic
staff has a mean publication ratio of 8.29 articles for the whole time
period and 1.38 articles per year. This last figure should have been higher,
especially considering the overall good research productivity at the Department.
Thus, the Evaluation Panel recommends that the publication
productivity per individual staff member should improve. Department
members have received several awards and prizes for their publications
and conference presentations, e.g. ‘Distinguished Scientific Contribution
to Hypnosis’, given by the American Psychological Association to Etzel
Cardena in 2007, and several others.
1.5 Evaluation of future plans
Among the future plans the Evaluation Panel would like to highlight
certain aspects that we believe would strengthen the Department of
Psychology. On a general level, we agree to the strategic recruitment
of internationally recognized researchers. Such a strategy could also
consider proactive recruitment to areas under development, or in relation
to the age structure and upcoming retirements at the Department. The
Department’s goals, and the optimal weighing of research and teaching
could be further clarified and communicated to the Faculty. There is
moreover a need for a full professorship at one of the divisions, and a need
for more post-graduate positions. The six divisions could easily accommodate
several postdoc graduates. It would also be feasible to further
develop policy and routines to accommodate visiting professors, and to
facilitate the financing of doctoral students by external funding. The
need for specific secretarial positions was voiced during interviews with
Department members.
1.6 Future potential and possibilities
The Faculty of Social Sciences has been described as having a granular
structure, including departments of very different sizes. The Department
of Psychology belongs to the large and productive departments,
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although the behavioural science speciality tends to be overshadowed
by the heterogeneous structure of the Faculty. This is unfortunate, and
it would weaken the University if behavioural science was viewed as
a satellite to e.g. sociology. The Department of Psychology should be
recommended to better profile the behavioural science it pursues, and be
encouraged to further develop the connections to medicine and technology
that already exist, in addition to continuing collaboration with the
social sciences.
It is recommended that the communication with the Faculty and University
be improved, so that needs and expectations are forwarded across the
levels of administration on the basis of explicit and agreed strategies and
rules. A long-term strategic overview of the Faculty of Social Sciences,
regarding organization and goals, would be one aspect of such work. In
addition, and although identity and group promotion is strong in the
Department of Psychology, increased clarity of approved academic career
goals and accessible pathways, and evaluation criteria, within an improved
information feedback system, would further motivate personnel and
strengthen research quality.
To reach an overall status of ‘excellent’ the Department of Psychology
needs to allocate more time for research activities, including an appropriate
reduction of the teaching load when granted research funding.
1.7 Gender and equal opportunity issues
There is a strong interest in psychology among men and women, and the
evaluation panel sees no problems in recruitment or career opportunities.
We approve of the policy of equal salary for the same type of work.
2. Department of Education
2.1 Overall assessment
In contrast to the self-evaluation report of the Department of Psychology,
the report of the Department of Education, as we have it, is a sketchy and
in places confused document which does not provide the full picture of
past, present, and planned future research expected in such a text. There
is therefore a relative paucity of material to assist our evaluation. What
follows is based on our understanding, from what is contained in the
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report, of the Department’s achievements and its plans for the future,
taking additional information into account.
The Department’s report transparently identifies a number of weaknesses
which in its view have affected its standing in research and scholarship.
These include: a low ‘rate of flow’ in the doctoral programme; previous
(undescribed) ‘research profiles’ which the report admits did not prove
to be as successful as was hoped; a lack of collaborative effort with other
institutions in Sweden; and an imbalance between teaching demands
and research opportunity. In addition, the report makes the seemingly
anomalous point that the Department’s international standing is stronger
than its national reputation.
Data provided point to a one-third reduction in the number of academic
staff over the period 2003–2007 and show a decline in the number of
publications (whether strictly scientific or other) from 2006 to 2007 and
only three books published over a six-year period. The report concedes
that the research culture of the Department has been underdeveloped
and that research and publication rates have been low, while asserting
that the situation is changing.
We concur with the main conclusions of this honestly stated selfcriticism.
While there is evidence of published research over the period
in question that is both respectable and relevant to the kind of academic
activity expected in a university department of education, what we
find lacking is evidence of any coherent overall research strategy with a
clear focus that has made collaborative use of the individual talents and
expertise of departmental members.
On the RQ08 grading scale it is clear to us that while some of the
Department’s research can be deemed to be ‘good’, including that of
the unit ‘Learning Lund’, the overall impression is that the outcomes as
described show a tendency from ‘good’ towards ‘insufficient’ in terms of
what might be expected in a leading university.
The age profile of both academics and doctoral students, as elsewhere in the
University, is high. The Department makes the point that new personnel
will be necessary to ensure research development on the lines proposed. If
the new leadership group (as intimated in the report) has a clear research
development function it should be able to initiate and encourage a new
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research culture, given appropriate additional staffing and an improvement
in the recruitment of doctoral students. We make some recommendations
below which are designed to strengthen the Department’s stated intentions.
2.2 Research infrastructure
As is evident in the Department’s report, staffing levels have declined
over the period 2003–2007 and the flow of doctoral students has been
problematic. There has been some success in securing external funding,
though funded symposia and other meetings, while providing the potential
for research collaboration, of course do not in themselves constitute
research.
2.3 Research quality
The self-evaluation report gives only scant information on publications.
Among the texts mentioned in the report over the period 2002–2007
the most advanced are those on research on multicultural education.
There has been further work on the discussion since the 1970s on
language and knowledge from a post-structuralist perspective, but the
relevance of these studies for the development of any significant theory
of education is difficult to identify. It is surprising that the list of ‘publications
which best represent renewal of research activities’ includes
an introductory text that, while comprehensive in its coverage, does not
constitute original research.
What we have not found in the report is evidence over the period under
review of research with relevance for any general theory of education
or even in promising relation to other educational research in Swedish.
Research in Norway and Denmark is not considered either, despite the
fact that contact with Nordic researchers is claimed. And we can find
nothing in terms of engagement with Anglo-American philosophy of
education since Dewey or with German Bildungstheorie, which seriously
diminishes any international voice the Department might have.
‘Learning Lund’, however, is an interdisciplinary research unit which is
engaged in investigations with interest and implications for the whole of
the University and beyond. Its publication record is good, it engages in
practice-oriented research, and its work encompasses a focus on multicultural
and multilingual education which fits with the future research plans
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of the Department. We have the impression, though, of a lack of active
engagement of those involved with Learning Lund with Nordic educational
researchers in general and we would have liked to see dialogue with
others in the Nordic research community that could have been fruitful
for both sides.
2.4 Collaboration
As mentioned above, the Department admits to a lack of collaboration
with other institutions, though there is evidence of individual engagement
with international activity at conferences and symposia. While
some collaborative taught courses have been or are being established,
there is as yet no clearly defined profile for collaborative intra- and
interdepartmental research as well as cooperation with colleagues in other
parts of Sweden and in other countries. Possibilities for such collaboration
– perhaps on an interdisciplinary basis – might be explored with
profit. In this connection involvement with NOCIES and applications
to NORDPLUS could be focused on research potential as well as on
networking on the one hand and on support for teaching on the other.
While the development of a distance Master of Education course in Syria
might enhance the teaching experience of departmental staff and draw on
their expertise (and so constitute a positive initiative) the possibilities such
engagement with the Middle East provides for research should become
part of the collaborative research process: otherwise providing such a
course will simply be a distraction from serious research effort. Similarly,
commendable work in the field of ‘personnel administration’, while
having potential for research, seems largely limited to teaching.
2.5 Research activity and teaching
There is a tendency in social science departments to require doctoral students
to undergo an intensive period of research training in their first year.
There are evidently procedures in place for such training in Lund, but it
is not clear whether existing interdepartmental programmes adequately
cover what is required in such training. What is clear, however, is that the
research efforts of faculty members should feed in to teaching, and that research
engagement should in particular contribute to the research training
of doctoral students. One particular circumstance which impedes practice-based
research and its use in teaching is the lack of a teacher training
programme now that that aspect of the Department’s work has moved to
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Malmö. This means that there is no obvious entrée into local schools and
that teaching cannot be based on research in a local environment which is
shared by teachers and taught. In such circumstances it might be expected
that research of a more theoretical nature would be stronger. The Department
feels that while some of its work has relevance for teacher education
there is no possibility for engagement with it. A reconnection with teacher
education would therefore be appropriate.
2.6 Evaluation of future plans
The Department identifies two broad research areas with potential
for future development: intercultural education and comparative and
international education. In the first of these areas there is evidence of
past achievement. There has been, for example (and as mentioned above),
research on the challenges to traditional general education in Sweden.
This important research theme is of relevance throughout the Nordic
countries and beyond, and links well with the second area, comparative
and international education. Here too there has been some positive development,
with papers in a significant English-language journal in the
field (Compare) and in publications under the aegis of CERI (OECD)
and the Comparative Education Society of Europe (CESE), though with
their focus on Sweden these particular pieces are not strictly speaking
comparative. We see considerable potential in the development of
research activity in these areas, especially in collaboration with other
researchers in Sweden and more widely in the Nordic countries. A
contribution might be made to comparative and international studies
generally if a research profile with a specifically regional (Nordic) comparative
focus could be developed. The proposal to introduce a Masters
programme in Intercultural Education could be a useful first step in
the establishment of a stronger research base in the field of multi- and
intercultural education.
However, in terms of the ‘renewal of research activities’ it is not clear how
work on language and knowledge would reflect the stated intention to
focus on either intercultural or comparative and international education.
Nor is it clear, since this is not explicit in the report, precisely what the
research profiles were that have now been abandoned in favour of the
new areas of inquiry. This makes it difficult to evaluate both the outcome
of previous stated research endeavour and the efficacy of the proposed
change in the general foci of the Department’s research.
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As far as plans for the future are concerned, we conclude that they are
‘good’ rather than ‘poor’, but that much further work is necessary on
the lines suggested above. The intentions to ‘broaden the theoretical
and methodological research base of the Department’ and to facilitate
a stronger international focus in the research training programme for
doctoral students are to be welcomed, but they need further clarification.
2.7 Future potential and possibilities
‘Much further work is necessary’. We note that the Department is
developing new research foci and that a new leadership group is in place.
This should create the framework for a reinvigoration of research effort,
especially if staffing levels can be restored and if more doctoral students
can be admitted within the framework of a programme of intensive
collaborative research training. In this connection the plans outlined in
the self-evaluation report appear to be in general on the right track. In
particular, we recommend the following:
(1) The University should make clear to the Department what its
expectations of it are.
(2) The Department should be asked to produce a research plan for the
next six years, with clearly stated objectives based on the projected
work of coherent research groups that would encourage co-operation
among departmental members.
(3) Support for more doctoral students, for one or two post-doctoral
positions, and for the renewal of posts should be provided by the
University.
(4) Serious consideration should be given to ways in which the Department
might reconnect with teacher training, perhaps through a
formal co-operative arrangement with providers in Malmö and/or
elsewhere.
(5) ‘Learning Lund’ should either be retained with a higher profile
within the Department or restored to its original place (in ‘Area 10’)
and so made more identifiable as a genuinely inter-faculty research
centre.
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2.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
We have no specific comments to make in connection to gender and
equal opportunity issues.
3. Department of Media and
Communication Studies
3.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Media and Communication Studies (MKV) is in
organisational terms rather small. The academic staff (March 2007)
counted six persons (full-time equivalent: five persons). Only two of nine
registered doctoral students were employees with a formal position inside
the Department. 9
The size of the Department is important, because a limited number of
researchers and doctoral students necessarily means that the Department
– to achieve research quality – has to concentrate its research activities on
some selected areas and consciously ignore many others. The Department
has in our opinion shown ability to take into account such difficult
priorities.
We will, as an overall assessment, characterize the research of the Department
as ‘very good’ (high quality research attracting national and international
attention). However, in some areas the Department represents
research of excellent international quality, and in these fields it is highly
visible in the international community of communication scholars.
3.2 Research infrastructure
Media and Communication Studies was until December 2005 a part of
the Department of Sociology. In 2006 it moved to its present location
in a Humanities building, though remaining within the Social Science
9. The report from the Head of Department (RQ8- Form 2) states that the department
is engaged in a merging process with two other small units, journalism (at present an
educational section more or less without academic research activities) and Press Studies
(located at the Faculty of Humanities and Theology). The Department for Press Studies has,
according to the statistics in Form 1.3 a, a limited research activity. At this point it would,
however, be misleading to include the Department Press Studies in the evaluation of the
Department of Media and Communication Studies.
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faculty. One of the two professors heads the department (25 %), the other
professor heads the doctoral programme, and both are engaged in teaching.
According to the report from the Head of Department (Form 2) the
other personnel involved in teaching are three lecturers, two adjuncts,
plus part-time engagement from a few doctoral students and others. The
limited size of the Department, and the permanent educational duties,
underlines the importance of external research funding. The documentation
(form 1.2) shows that the Department has had some success in this
area, including research grants from the EU.
3.3 Research quality and productivity
According to Form 1.3 the number of strict scientific publications in the
years 2002–2007 was 26. Original articles in refereed journals and chapters
in books represented the majority of the publications. The production
per staff member (full-time equivalent March 2007) was 5,2 publications
in these years, i.e. less than one publication per researcher per year, which
is rather low compared with departments in other scientific areas where
articles in refereed journals are the main publication form.
However, the publication statistics also include three books and three edited
volumes. Such publication forms are important in the social sciences
and the humanities, and are normally much more time consuming than
the shorter article format. In addition the researchers produced several
reports and popular science publications that have represented an important
contribution to the public debate.
Some parts of the research at the Department can, according to the
assessment standards of RQ-08, be characterized as having an excellent
research quality, documented by several publications in international
refereed journals and chapters/books published by international publishing
houses, both in English and French.
The more nationally oriented research from the Department, published
in Swedish, is within the Nordic research community known to have a
solid quality. In the fields of research given priority, like democracy, Net
media and public sphere questions and media and gender research, the
Department is in the forefront of media and communications research in
Sweden.
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It also can be mentioned that a few staff members at the Department are
actively engaged in the international scientific community as speakers at
international conferences, and in assignments to research councils and
assignments as members of editorial boards in international journals.
The number of doctoral theses produced within the Department of
Media and Communication in 2002–2007 was seven monographs, i.e.
around one per year as an average. The number is not high, but must
be considered ‘normal’ given the size of the academic staff and the
limited number of employed doctoral student. The monograph format
also means that there will be published fewer scientific articles than
in departments with dissertations based on a collection of published
articles.
Assessment: ‘very good’, but also with examples of research of ‘excellent’
standard.
3.4 Collaboration
The small size of the department limits the research possibilities and of
course increases the need for national and international cooperation. The
Department seem to be conscious of this and has participated in one
comparative study of Young People, the Internet and Civic Participation
(funded by the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme) and has established a
broad national research project about Media and Women’s Health Issues.
In these areas the assessment is ‘very good’.
3.5 Research activity and teaching
The publications of the academic staff are actively used in the
Department’s courses and teaching. The Department is also involved
in teaching/courses with other units and departments, among them the
Journalism programme, Gender Studies and the Sociology of Law. These
multi-discipline activities document the strength of the Department;
however, they are at the same time very demanding. The planned organisational
integration with journalism/press studies will possibly sharpen
the resource conflict between teaching and research.
The background documents give no information of student essays/articles
written within existing research projects. The lack of postdoc positions
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undermines the Department’s possibilities to give talented researchers a
chance to develop their research abilities in new areas after the PhD thesis.
3.6 Evaluation of future plans
Concerning future research directions two areas are mentioned.
One of them follows up previous research about the expansive Web, both
analyzing new forms of ‘the political’ and new modes of social networking
and identity development, incorporating popular culture. The vision
is to develop a network-based international project. The plan is to begin
on a small, exploratory scale.
The second project concerns ‘the media and the Judicial System’, a
research project with some cooperation with the Department of the
Sociology of Law.
Assessment: ‘good’, but with possibilities to be ‘very good’ or better. Both
projects can potentially be of great public interest, but the descriptions of
strategy, visions, possibilities and obstacles are (so far) rather general and
‘topic’-oriented.
3.7 Future potential and possibilities
The Department has, as mentioned, many strengths; however, a definitive
weakness is its small size, which makes the research projects (as well as the
educational responsibilities) dependent on a few key members of staff. This
makes the Department especially vulnerable concerning long-term research
planning and cooperation. The described plans to merge with two other
small units seem to be well founded, given the similarities of research areas,
educational duties and the need for a more robust organisation. However,
if the aim also is a strengthened research quality the condition must be an
increase in the staff of researchers and employed doctoral students.
3.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The Department has, as indicated, a strong profile concerning media and
gender questions. It also ‘lives as it learns’; the gender balance is good (also
in the leadership of the department). In this respect the Department could
be a role model for other more traditional male-dominated departments.
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Additional Panel Report 10
4. Malmö Academy of Music
Achievement quality
– Quality (international comparability and innovative power)
Within the international community of researchers, Malmö is considered
to be one of the leading music education research institutions in the
world in its focus on how music learning is shaped by social context. Malmö
has the leading group of researchers in Sweden in music education
research (not withstanding the high quality evidenced by a small team
of scholars in Gothenburg). Furthermore, there is an overall coherence
to the Malmö research output that is relatively rare internationally. Both
academic staff and doctoral students have generated research which (a)
falls under the broad focus of investigations into contextualised learning
(whether in formal or informal settings) and (b) has had an international
impact in its influence on other researchers (such as in Australia and the
UK). They have also been at the forefront internationally of expanding
our understanding of how music learning is framed and shaped by the
emergence of new technologies and popular culture.
– Productivity (scientific production)
Although this is a relatively young research group (having just celebrated
its tenth anniversary of doctoral research), there is a breadth and depth
in its published output, as evidenced in the wide range of topics in the
student’s doctoral theses, as well as in the overall coherence under a contextualised
learning umbrella. The number of publications over the past
six years (form 1.3) is commendable in a context where university music
departments nationally and internationally have a tradition of scholarly
activity that informs musical practice, but not of empirical research.
Malmö has established a research culture in which music education
research can flourish. The team has attracted external research grants for
each of the past three years. Internationally, these tend to be small in artsrelated
subjects (such as in the interface with social sciences in education)
and so the sums involved are also commendable.
10. Panel 5 declared that it did not have the competences to perform a proper evaluation
of the Malmö Academy of Music. Therefore, an external reviewer was appointed to
perform the scientific evaluation of this department.
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– Relevance (scientific, social and socioeconomic significance)
As mentioned above under ‘quality’, the international research community
value the work of the Malmö team very highly because they have
enabled us to understand the impact on musical behaviour and development
of key features of socio-cultural context, technology and media
across a wide range of musical genres.
– Vitality and ability to manage research
(flexibility, control and leadership)
One of the key features of the research group is its activity as a group,
with regular scheduled meetings for colleagues to share development,
explore ideas and support each other. This collectivity in the development
of the research culture is rare in the field of music education. Senior
members of the team provide an experience framework in which the
younger/less experienced members can flourish and in which everyone
can develop. This is highly commendable.
Overall, in terms of achievements, the evidence base (allied to my own
first-hand experiences of reading examples of their published output,
examining a recent PhD candidate and observing Malmö academics
presenting at international research symposia) suggests that the quality is
‘excellent’ according to your criteria.
Concerning ‘plans for the future’, the research team are aware of the
current limitations in opportunities for doctoral students to progress
post-qualification and the challenges of enabling the senior lecturers
to become more research active (a common challenge in music departments
with a strong performance component across the Western world).
Nevertheless, they will be building from a solid foundation and track
record. Their strength is in recognising that musical learning can be
equally powerful outside as well as within institutional settings and that
informal learning has been under-represented in the research literature.
Their proposed focus for the future is to build on their existing research
excellence and extend the number and variety of research sites to include
music learning across the lifespan (another under-researched area). Also
their intention to study musical performance as a learning activity is
at the forefront of development in this area and will enable them have
concrete contexts in which lifelong learning in music can be situated.
Given their track record, with continued support, they are ideally placed
to realise their goals. Overall, the planning overview is considered to
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be ‘very good’ and could be excellent if there was a mechanism for supporting
the development of post-doctoral and senior lecturer staff in their
research, such that the whole community were able to have research as a
core element of their working week.
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PANEL 6 – SOCIAL SCIENCES
CONTENTS
1. Introduction............................................................................................158
2. School of Social Work and Social Welfare................................................162
3. Department of Sociology of Law.............................................................166
4. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology..................................169
5. Centre for Gender Studies.......................................................................172
6. Department of Political Science...............................................................175
7. Department of Social and Economic Geography......................................177
8. Service Management (Organisation,
Sociology, Social Geography) – Campus Helsingborg...............................181
9. Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies......................................182
10. Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies........................................... 184
11. Centre for European Studies (CFE)...........................................................185
12. Brief Remarks on Human Rights..............................................................186
13. Criminology and Network for Studies of Criminology, Deviance
and Social Problems................................................................................187
1. Introduction
Panel 6 for the Lund University Research Quality Evaluation recognizes
the importance of the principle of a research evaluation exercise. Many of
its members have participated in comparable exercises elsewhere and they
believe that such evaluation of research quality offers important guidelines
for future university developments. The panel is also aware that the
increasing importance of such assessments in Sweden and elsewhere in
the world is largely the result of political and social pressures, a growing
emphasis on productivity, efficiency, and economic/financial constraints/
possibilities. Given this situation, it is, however, important to regard the
mission of Social Sciences in their entire context, and this applies with
special force to the Social Sciences since their social utility is often systematically
underestimated. In addition to research, education of future
generations of scholars and professionals as well as the participation of
intellectuals in the public debate and in developing cultural and social
conditions of citizens, are crucial tasks.
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Because of the multiple tasks of comprehensive universities where the
Social Sciences may interact beyond faculty borders, a narrow emphasis
on competitiveness, productivity and often short-term assessments may
have a detrimental effect on the intellectual, academic and societal mission
of universities and their constituent departments. Such endeavours,
particularly in the Social Sciences and Humanities, can reduce the range
of ideas explored, narrow the fields of academic enquiry, and rupture the
important articulation between intellectuals and other spheres of social life.
The panel agreed that universities, their reputations and their contributions,
also reside exactly in nurturing intellectual freedom, stimulating
innovative and blue-sky research, encouraging unorthodox thinking and
foster the debate between academia, civil society, and politics/government.
A narrow focus on metric data, an overemphasis on quantifiable
benchmarking, and a concern with economically measurable indicators,
are dangers that are implicit in each assessment exercise of the Social
Sciences that above all are meaning producers. In a wider social context, in
which intellectual life is in danger of further marginalisation, as a premium
is put on directly measurable effects, we believe it is imperative to keep
the role of universities as leading centres of intellectual life at the forefront
of our assessment. This means, among others, that our assessments are
guided by a concern for maintaining, fostering and nurturing speculative
thinking, advanced academic research, a vibrant intellectual milieu for
both teachers and students, and the degree to which the intellectual life of
the university interacts or articulates with other sectors of society.
In sum, universities are and should be centres of intellectual excellence,
debate, disagreement and the exploration of novel ideas, the different,
including the uncomfortable, the disagreeable, and even the marginal.
We therefore believe that the mission of research assessments is not solely
to identify what constitutes success (or otherwise) in narrowly defined
metric terms, but also to assure that the intellectual mission and the
public role of departments subject to assessment is strengthened for the
future. We suggest that interdisciplinary research and cross-faculty cooperation
are strengthened to assure these goals. Innovation might occur
if new research areas are allowed to emerge, are recognised and nurtured
across present boundaries.
In addition to somewhat impenetrable faculty and departmental
boundaries, one of the present problems seems to be the lack of a clearly
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defined and transparent reward structure within the Faculty, for example,
in relation to a conscious publication strategy. We see as important to
explicitly support and reward publishing activities through a coherent
incentive structure that not only rewards participation and contributions
to international scholarly discussion and research activities, but which
offers incentives for contributions to the development of professional
areas, public and policy discourses in Sweden. Equally important in our
opinion is to offer benefits for efforts to expand intellectual debates in
Sweden in the Swedish language, for example through textbooks, and to
reward successful endeavours to transmit Swedish research findings to
the international arena. We suggest that departments consider actively
enhancing the co-operation with neighbouring ones, to make strategic
choices to promote dynamism, innovation and excellence in their respective
fields. A deliberate policy could also make visible a too great weight
on provincialism/parochialism which otherwise might be a risk.
During the site visit in which the chair and vice-chair of the panel took
part, some more general problems for Lund research and Lund scholars
arose. Many of these problems are dealt with in the executive summary
of the RQ08 exercise. For example, it seems as if some efforts have been
made, but perhaps not continued, to overcome the so called leaking pipe
line resulting in loosing women scholars in the trajectory between PhD
and professorial level. In the Social Sciences there was only one more
female professor in 2007 compared to the situation in 2003. Women
made up 30 per cent of the professorial staff in 2007, which hardly can be
regarded as a high proportion, considered the specific field, and a system
that allows the promotion to professor of all merited ones.
Some Social Science departments tend to favour individual research rather
than team research or team-based projects. Although it is recognised that
individual scholarship might be appropriate for some type of research, the
absence of collaborative research might be a problem. In particular, international
joint research and co-operation customarily leads to higher impact
through international publications and heightens the international visibility
and recognition of Lund’s research capabilities. It is recommended,
therefore, that these departments make a substantial effort to integrate their
research agendas in wider co-operative research programmes. Efforts of this
kind would also improve long-term planning which in some cases could be
more elaborated than shown in the self-evaluations. Such initiatives merit
efficient support of all administrative levels of the university.
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Departments that have not recruited PhD students in recent years are
recommended to find resources to do so. We find it detrimental for the
future of the respective professions and fields of research not to recruit
PhD students regularly. Perhaps this lack of orientation towards the
future partly explains why so many units have presented somewhat less
convincing future plans and strategies. However, we also recognise that
this is the very first research assessment exercise of Lund University,
resulting in unfamiliarity in providing necessary documents in a short
time period and therefore consider the present assessment also a learning
exercise for departments, and centres.
Another problem of many departments is the strongly asymmetric age
structure of academic staff, especially the inordinate concentration of
pending retirements of professors in the coming years. To address this
problem as well as to enhance the research standing of the entire faculty
through injection of new scholarly perspectives, issues, methods and a
sensibility for emerging Social Science themes we suggest the faculty
in the short and the medium term to consider two measures. First, we
recommend a proactive programme to gain a competitive advantage over
other Swedish and Nordic Social Science faculties and departments that
confront a similar age structure. A strategic programme could be put in
place that permits the Faculty of Social Sciences to early replace members
(at the professorial level) that are about to retire, resulting in temporary
doubling up of these positions.
Such a doubling of positions could be flexible and range to a period from
five to ten years. The advantages of such a measure are obvious: The Faculty
of Social Sciences would have a distinctive competitive edge in replacing
retiring staff before competing institutions also enter the market. The
competition for the early replacement positions should be open and internationally
advertised. Other distinctive advantages that would enhance the
research quality of the Faculty are new perspectives and the strengthening
of existing potentially excellent research areas within the Faculty.
One way of enhancing these areas could be a programme of a handful of
Lund Distinguished Visiting Professors. Such professorships should be
instituted in cross-disciplinary research areas identified by the Faculty,
in co-operation with the departments. The funding could be based on
external sponsorship funds. The aim would be to bring the best scholars
in the respective fields to the Faculty of Social Sciences for an academic
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year each. Lund Distinguished Visiting Professors should be a distinct asset
to staff and students and strengthen the research profile of the Faculty
of Social Sciences.
In the following reports on the departments, centres and research units
and of the Faculty of Social Sciences, it is important to recognise the
heterogeneity of the assessed units in a number of dimensions: size, age,
composition of staff, research profile, position within the faculty, etc.
While the School of Social Work and Social Welfare stands out as one of
the excellent units within Social Sciences in a broad sense, and the Department
of Gender Studies to have particular potential, some other units
also score high with panel 6, among them the Department of Sociology
of Law and the Department of Social and Economic Geography. The
other departments and units rank from good to very good. The assessment
of individual departments and centres that follows below is mainly based
on evaluations of panel members that are experts in the respective areas of
knowledge. In a small number of cases, two or more panel members are
responsible for the assessment.
2. School of Social Work and Social Welfare
2.1 Overall Assessment
The School of Social Work is one of the biggest departments at the
Faculty. According to the statistical information provided, its academic
staff amounted in 2007 to 32 in all. The number of professors is 5 (FTE).
The number of researchers has declined somewhat since 2003, while the
number of senior lecturers has increased. About half of the staff members
are women. The full time academic staff/student ratio is high: about 50
students per staff member.
The department’s English name, “School of social work and social
welfare”, captures the research profile in an accurate way: The focus
at the School is not only on social work practices and interventions,
but also on more general questions regarding social policy and social
problems in society in general. Despite the size of the unit, the research
activities at the department are well integrated. All schools of social
work in Sweden do carry out research on “social welfare”, at least to
some extent, but the Lund School has been particularly successful
within this field.
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The collaboration between staff members is intensive and dynamic. At
least during the time period to be evaluated here, the School has been
the leading Swedish social work department as regards the development
of theoretical bases for social work. The “Lund-team” has e.g. initiated
Socialvetenskaplig Tidskrift (a mainly Swedish-language, high quality
scientific journal for the social sciences, read through-out Scandinavia)
and has produced the most influential textbooks on social work in
Scandinavia at the moment.
The various activities at the School have clearly contributed to the theoretical,
methodological and empirical knowledge of social work, while
at the same time providing new perspectives on the subject field. The
department also actively participates in ongoing international scientific
and professional debates concerning social work and social welfare.
However, also the share of applied research at the department is considerable,
and the School can be considered to answer to the demands by
professional social workers and the general public through a variety of
activities.
Combining a commitment to “society” and demands for publishing for
professionals has proven a problem for many social work units, but the
Lund School has so far succeeded in finding strategies (i.e. concerning
publishing) which consider both needs within practical social work and
those of the academic society. To make such a “dual” strategy work is,
however, a demanding task in many respects.
2.2. Research Infrastructure
The school has students at two campuses, Lund and Helsingborg, but the
self-evaluation does not provide any information on the research activities
at the Helsingborg campus. On the basis of information provided on the
School’s web pages, it seems like if the research activities at Campus Helsingborg
would not be very extensive. It might, in many respects, be wise
to concentrate the research activities to the Lund campus. However, the
School should have a strategy for ensuring the involvement of students at
the Helsingborg campus in its different research activities.
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2.3 Research Quality
Quality: The department has managed to cover all levels of social work
(societal, organizational, individual) in its research activities, but in a fairly
integrated manner, thus avoiding the not uncommon but nevertheless
artificial and counter-productive academic division according to which
questions related to social welfare at the macro level are being handled by
e.g. sociologists and economists, and social problems and social interventions
at the micro level by researchers in social work respectively: Nearly
one third of the scientific publications produced by the School belong to
the category of national or international refereed articles, which is a very
large share when it comes to the field of social work, at least in Scandinavian
comparison.
The School was also “ranked” very high among social work departments
when the Swedish Research Council for Working Life and Social Sciences
evaluated the research activities within the field of social work in
2003. Thus, in terms of quality, the School must be ranked as excellent.
Productivity. The School is (at least) as productive as are the other big
units at the faculty. If the volume of production is viewed in relation to
the comparably high teaching load of the academic staff (which, due to
the nature of social work education, includes providing both academic
and professional skills), the relatively moderate share of external research
funding in comparison to other units at the faculty, and the intensive
“interaction” with professionals in practical social work and with society
at large, the department ranks (at least) as excellent as regards productivity.
Relevance: The research conducted at the department must be ranked as
excellent in terms of relevance. The research activities of the School have
broadened the theoretical basis of social work and social welfare. The
research is also of high relevance for the professionals and decision-makers
in the field.
Vitality and organizational capacity: The School has shown its vitality
through a number of activities: it has established highly qualified scientific
journals/research networks, its staff has taken part in a variety of public
reports as experts, The School is the leading social work department in
Scandinavia as regards the number of joint research projects/publications
etc. The department also has managed to recruit many and good PhD
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candidates. The interaction between research at the School and society is
impressive. In terms of vitality the department stands out as excellent.
2.4 Collaboration
The staff at the School is involved in a number of local, national and international
projects, many of them multidisciplinary, and the School has a unique
position in Nordic research networks and international collaboration. In
terms of collaboration activities, the department ranks as excellent.
2.5 Research Activity and Teaching
According to the self-evaluation of the School, its vision is to make research
available to students and the public. In this respect the vision seems already
to have been realized to a large extent.
2.6 Evaluation of Future Plans
Existing meta-analyzes of research within the field of social work have
shown that there has been almost no comparative empirical research conducted
so far within social work. The future plans of the School, thus, seem
to be excellent/outstanding in this respect. Several promising research areas
are emphasised in the School’s self-evaluation: e.g. labour market research,
care for the elderly, research on interventions in social work and, above all,
more comparative research in social work. All of these areas stand out as
important both from a theoretical and from a national and international
societal perspective.
2.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities
The staff at the School is heavily involved in cooperation with professionals
in the field. The different demands on social work can be compared to
balancing on a “slack rope”, with demands from professionals in the field
and in society on the one hand, and demands placed on the universities for
“going international” on the other.
Further, the teaching load of staff holding a PhD seems heavy when
looking at the relationship between teachers and students (1200 students
and only 25 full time academic teachers). Against this background, the
quality and productivity of the School’s research is impressive. In a longer
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perspective, this equation may, however, become difficult to uphold. The
School and, especially, the Faculty should consider different measures for
further promoting the research possibilities for teachers holding a PhD (as
well as other staff). Increased possibilities for conducting research would
also increase the School’s possibilities to compete for external funding.
2.8 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
The gender balance at the department is fairly even.
3. Department of Sociology of Law
3.1 Introduction
This is a small unit, with only 2 full time top ranking academic staff
(professors) and a total of 8 full time academic staff (2007). According
to the statistical material provided for us, it has a total staff of 22; 36 %
of them are permanently employed; 64 % are women (2007). At present,
the Samuel Pufendorf Professorship is allocated to the unit (2008–2011).
During the period 2003–2007, the unit had 10 PhD students, which
must be considered a fairly large number relative to the number of professors.
It has a complete undergraduate education (with separate courses
for 120 ECT) and a postgraduate education, and a total of some 200
students every year. The full time academic staff/student ratio (8/200) is
25 students per staff member.
3.2 Description of activities
In a small unit such as sociology of law, a dispersal of foci could easily
lead to superficial and unintegrated research. As can be seen from the
unit’s own report, sociology of law in Lund has instead chosen a concentration
of focus. As a point of departure, this seems to be a very wise
choice when personnel and resources are scarce. The next question is, of
course, the specific choice of focus. Preferably, the focus would have to
be theoretically as well as empirically at the core of the subject, while at
the same time of a broad or general nature in order for important issues
not to be left out or weeded out. It is not easy to put together such a
menu. Sociology of law in Lund has chosen an emphasis on norms as
its focus. As a subject matter for sociology of law, this focus is extremely
well chosen. The concept of “norm” is essential and central to sociology
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as well as to law. Normative patterns are basic to an understanding of
society, and legal regulations are norms. The concept of “norm” may be
and has been analysed in depth both by lawyers and sociologists. It goes
to the core of both disciplines, thus creating a very relevant “bridge”
between the two into sociology of law. A large number of key problems in
the sociology of law may be seen in the light of norms: Legal cultures in
different contexts; juridification or legalization of social relationships and
institutions; legal pluralism; law, power and repression; law as a means of
counteracting repression; and so on. A concentration on norms provides
coherence and theoretical meeting ground for staff and students in a
subject which, with small size, might easily become fragmented. At the
same time, it triggers a whole vista of interesting research problems. The
norm perspective as described is not developed as a formal model, which
could easily become stifling, but as a theme which goes to the heart of the
matter in law and sociology alike, thus permeating both disciplines, and
which ignites theory and research. But the list of references in 2.5–2.8
shows that there is also openness to other approaches. The unit seems well
aware of this important point.
Being interdisciplinary, the department collaborates with several other
departments in Lund inside and outside the faculty, and with law and social
science disciplines in a number of other Swedish centres of learning.
It collaborates with the International Institute for Sociology of Law in
Onati (Spain) and with universities in Italy and Poland. Its national and
international standing is very high, with new cooperative relationships
coming up.
3.3 Assessment
Strengths include, paradoxically, the size of the unit. To repeat, it is a
small unit, making it possible for the highly professionalized and competent
staff to interact well. Among other strengths is unit’s emphasis on
interdisciplinary national and international contacts. A weakness is that
it is, also because of small size, vulnerable to sudden personnel changes
and exhaustion of researchers. Our opinion is that sociology of law
in Lund could well use a larger staff without endangering the positive
aspects of small size. It would be a responsibility of the University to
increase size to an optimal level. The opportunities of the unit are great,
especially through its contacts with law and well as sociology, which, to
repeat, open a whole vista of important research problems – important
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to theory as well as to Swedish and international society. Important is
also the unit’s position in a Nordic research network and international
engagements.
The most successful research of the unit concentrates on norms and law.
This focus is maintained in PhD dissertations as well as other research
throughout the unit. There is an increasing emphasis on using the norm
perspective in understanding society, paralleled by an increasing interest
in the mass media. There are three strong research areas – social welfare,
democracy and social politics; children, youth, family and victims of
crime; and environment and sustainable development. Many of them have
a focus on norms. The allocation of the Samuel Pufendorf Professorship to
the unit offers new opportunities for developing theory and methods.
Several promising research areas are emphasised. They include a particularly
important point – referred to as a vision: The establishment of a
Research Centre on Norm Studies, with a European and International
emphasis This would be of great interest to many different departments,
and we consider it a very courageous and forward-looking idea. To realize
the vision, increased recruitment to an optimal level and expansion would
be necessary.
Three of seven publications (only seven are allowed listed) are devoted
to the development and use of the norm perspective: Håkan Hydéns
Normvetenskap (2002); Matthias Maier’s PhD dissertation Norm och
Rättsregel, on the construction of a tunnel through Hallandsåsen (2003);
and the article The Concept of Norms in Sociology of Law by Hydén and
Måns Svensson (2008).
In terms of quality (international comparability and innovative power):
There is a strong emphasis on national and international cooperation.
Due to its innovative emphasis on norm studies and normative perspectives
as used in law, sociology and consequently sociology of law, the unit
ranks among the highest internationally in the field, and can safely be
called excellent.
In terms of productivity (scientific production, especially volume of
production seen in the context of size of staff), the department ranks as
excellent.
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In terms of relevance (scientific, social and socioeconomic significance):
In view of the relevance of the norm perspective for an understanding
of modern and late modern society and societal change, the department
ranks as excellent.
In terms of vitality and organizational capacity (flexibility, control,
leadership): The unit shows great vitality in carving out a basic and highly
relevant perspective to be followed in research on law and society, and
it shows a clear capacity to implement successfully such research (see
2.5–2.8). In these terms, the unit ranks as excellent.
Concering plans for the future. The vision of a research centre on norms
is an extremely interesting and original idea for the future. The University
would be wise to make a note of this vision, and give it support. Many
departments could be involved, and interests in questions of ethics,
gender, socialization, and culture and society in general could be vitalized
and integrated. On a four point scale it is given the rank of excellent.
4. Department of Sociology
and Social Anthropology
4.1 Introduction
The Department of Sociology {SOC} (and Social Anthropology [SOC
A]) is a large unit within the Faculty of Social Sciences. According to
the statistical information provided is has a total academic staff of 42 in
2007. Both the number of academic staff and composition of the academic
staff have changed significantly since 2003. The number professors
has dropped by about a third (while the mean age has increased from 57
to 61), the number of senior lecturers dropped a quarter and the number
of researchers declined even more, from 18 to 6 researchers. In line with
these changes, the number of doctoral students and other personnel declined
significantly. Overall, the department in 2007 is roughly half the size
of the 2003 department. Despite the drop in academic staff members, the
Lund University sociology department was the largest Nordic sociology
department in 2005 (cf. Aaltojärvi et al., 2008: Table 2 11 ).
11. Aaltojärvi, Inari et al. (2008), “Scientific productivity, web visibility and citation patterns
in sixteen Nordic sociology departments,” Acta Sociologica 51 (1): 5-22.
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The small Social Anthropology unit with the Department of Sociology
has three professors (one full and two associate) and one lecturer.
4.2 General description of the department
and research activities
It appears that Social Anthropology offers in proportion to its staff a far
larger number of courses (14 versus 25). In the fall of 2007 Sociology
enrolled 38 doctoral students and Social Anthropology 11. The student/
staff ratio in sociology at the doctoral level is therefore smaller than it is in
Social Anthropology.
The field of sociology and social anthropology is generally characterized
by a multitude of theoretical traditions, a diversity of research interests
and methods. The Department recognizes such diversity and has
created eight research environments with the objective of producing
3–5 “distinguished environments by 2010. The research environments
range from “Everyday-life and Life-World Research” to “Anthropology/
Sociology of Governance”. At present time, funding for the eight research
environments is mainly symbolic. The Social Anthropology unit
has justifiably a more distinctive research focus on “global systematic
anthropology”.
The interdisciplinary activities and relations to other departments are
extensive and impressive. Similarly, the international standing especially
of the small Social Anthropology unit is outstanding.
Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats: The strength of the
Department of Sociology and the Social Anthropology unit are seen in
their existing research environments and areas, cooperation with other
departments in LU and national as well as international networks. The
weakness is the generational asymmetry of staff and the lack of external
funding. The threats issue from the age structure of staff and uncertainties
with respect to student interest in the fields.
Successful Research Areas: In sociology the research area “Sustainability
and Development Studies”, “Network for Studies of Criminology,
Deviance and Social Problems”, and “Social Policy, Working Life and
Global Welfare” identified as a successful research specialty. In all cases
the future recruitment of academic staff and/or students remains an issue.
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In Social Anthropology it is the successful field of “Anthropology of
Global Systems”.
Most Promising Research Areas: A number of promising research areas
are listed in the department report corresponding to the development
within the previously listed eight research environments. In Social
Anthropology the most promising new research direction is in the field of
the anthropology of governance, the state and culture.
List of Publications Which Best Represent Research Activities: A
variety of articles and books are listed.
Professional Activity (2003–2007): The Department of Sociology and
the Social Anthropology Unit are very active professionally. In many
categories, the SOC A is significantly more active.
International Collaboration (2003–2007): There is a fair amount of
international exchange and collaboration.
4.3 Overall assessment
In terms of an overall assessment we would differentiate between SOC
and SOC A: The overall quality of the Sociology unit is good and of the
Social Anthropology unit is very good.
4.4 Research Quality (a measure of excellence and attention
received within the community of researchers).
The overall productivity is very good but not surprisingly unevenly distributed
across academic staff. The decline in total publications more recently
reflects, one would assume, the reduction in academic staff. 12 The productivity
of the SOC unit is good and in the SOC A unit is very good.
12. According to the study by Aaltojärvi et al., 2008:Table 3, (which only takes output into
account and not available resources, for example) the average number of publications (as
found in the GOOGLE Scholar search engine) in the sociology department at LU per faculty
is 1.9 which is lower than in most Nordic sociology departments. According to the same
study, academic staff with publications listed by GOOGLE Scholar represent 57 percent of
all faculty which falls below the proportion of faculty with such publications in other major
Nordic sociology departments.
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4.5 Collaboration
There is reasonable emphasis on national and international collaboration
both in SOC (good) and in SOC A. (very good).
4.6 Research activity and teaching
Difficult to assess on the basis of the information made available.
4.7 Relevance (scientific, technological, clinical, social, cultural
and socioeconomic significance)
In light of the many scientific reports that directly address contemporary
national and international social issues through books and other publications
as well as the participation of faculty in governmental bodies, the
relevance of the scientific activity of the department is good.
4.8 Vitality and Organizational Capacity
The internal and external vitality of the two units appear to be good. Proactive
measures to cope with the generational imbalance seem to be in order.
4.9 Evaluation of future plans
There is adequate concern about future intellectual directions but less, it
seems, about future staffing and student recruitment.
4.10 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The gender balance is the entire department is better than in many other
departments of the same size and stature.
5. Centre for Gender Studies
The Centre for Gender Studies was established in 1978 as a comprehensive
university unit with interdisciplinary research, teaching and
documentation tasks. Since 2002, it belongs to the Faculty of Social
Sciences and functions as a department. It is one of the smallest faculty
departments with only one professor and a total of 6 full time equivalent
academic staff (the number has not changed since 2003). The integration
of the Centre for Gender Studies into a faculty structure as an inde-
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pendent department follows a general trend in Sweden as well as, for
example, in Finland which does not seem to have had any negative effects
on interdisciplinarity.
Organisational changes, new staff and a recently started PhD training
(2006), encompassing 3 students imply that the department is in a
process of elaborating its research profile, recruitment of researchers and
PhD training.
5.1 Overall assessment
Gender Studies is a vital and innovative department with a research
agenda that has a leading position in Sweden. The department has
potential of lasting impact.
5.2 Research Quality
The department reports intersectionality, post-colonial and queer studies
as its research and teaching profile. In these fields Gender Studies at Lund
is one of Sweden’s leading departments. Postcolonial, and especially queer
studies, are however new fields that have not yet produced such a body
of research in the Nordic countries that it would be possible to assess
their long-term effects. It is also too early, because of major changes in
staff, to definitively assess the quality of the research activities. Yet, the
chosen priorities show vitality and innovative power and are without
doubt internationally cutting-edge research fields within Gender Studies.
Another indicator of high quality is the attraction of both staff and
PhD positions that the department recently has witnessed. The reported
productivity follows both quantitatively and qualitatively the pattern of
other Social Science departments at Lund, with more book chapters than
referee journal articles. Predominantly domestic publishing could be
regarded as both understandable and necessary considering the profile of
the department, given the extraordinary high level of societal relevance of
the research activities. There is internationally, however, a great demand
for high quality research in English on the Nordic (welfare) societies from
new perspectives. To satisfy both needs requires a delicate balance and
poses a challenge for Gender Studies. On average, putting several dimensions
together, the department ranks very good/excellent.
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5.3 Collaboration
Gender Studies collaborates within Lund University on PhD training,
but the attached documentation does not provide data on research collaboration,
which no doubt occurs. The department has a long tradition of
participating in international curriculum development and other training
activities, but it does not participate in joint international research projects.
The department does not report any regional or national research
co-operation either, which is a pity. However, the publications of some
scholars, most significantly in the field of post-colonial studies, indicate
international profiles and strong international links on an individual
level. The wide network of international contacts that the department as
well as individual scholars embrace enables future research collaboration
with external competitive funding.
5.4 Research activity and teaching
Gender Studies follows the tradition among Gender Studies Centres
of having established a very strong connection between research and
training. This includes the contents of training and the high competence
of teachers. On BA and MA levels the relations are remarkably good.
In PhD training the collaboration is in the process of development and
needs both monitoring and sufficient resources in order to be productive.
One could consider whether it would benefit the research and training
milieu to increase the number of PhD students up to 5–6, or if the
present arrangements are enough to provide the current 3 PhD students
with a sufficiently enriching environment.
5.5 Evaluation of future plans
The department reports Gendered Communities, explored in relation to
key terms such as solidarity and social justice as its upcoming research
profile. This new profile will possibly follow the centre’s present orientation.
To draw on the current profile is an excellent choice, but the future
plan seems to need much improvement and efficient integration of the
scholars’ projects as well as of individual research profiles in order to
become a competitive project (or research programme). At the moment
the plan is rated good. The department could choose one of three options:
collaboration within the faculty, national/regional co-operation or
international collaboration. Being a small department, choices have to be
made. In addition, given the limited resources, either training or research
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could be emphasised. In research, priority could be given to a broad range
of topics, or to one theme of strategic value. The centre might consider a
division of labour in co-operation with other Gender Studies Centres in
the country.
5.6 Future potentials and possibilities
The Centre for Gender Studies may ensure high quality PhD training
through co-operation with other departments. This is especially urgent at
national and regional (Lund-Copenhagen/Denmark) level. These levels
are less developed than, for example, the Nordic level. The recently established
national PhD training programme in Gender Studies offers good
potential. There is also a need for consolidation of the present activities
after an intensive phase of major changes. The vitality, innovativeness and
the leading position of the department in post-colonial and queer studies
along with a good network of international contacts offer excellent future
potential and important possibilities for qualitative impact.
6. Department of Political Science
The size of the department is relatively big according to international
standards. Around 50 persons are enrolled as full time academic staff
members. If these figures are broken down due to type of employment,
15 are PhD students. The number is not high but well compensated by
a high turn out as the department produces in average around four or
more degrees annually. As compared to the figures above the department
encompass 3 chairs only, which seem to fill only one chair each for the
three main fields: IR, public policy, and political science general. Partly
this imbalance is compensated by two promoted professors among the
lecturers. To reach highest international standards the number of chairs
should be considerably increased or alternatively the number of promoted
professors must be enhanced and spread to all three main fields. The
number of full time senior lecturers is 17. Their mean age is 47 years and
according to the career curve many of them must have exceeded the age
years ago to take the next and final step in the employment hierarchy.
Why this has not happened is an open question for us. Many of the
lecturers are women, none of the professors. Measures must be taken to
encourage the lecturers in their career and to open the gates for external
recruitment.
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Partly the problem discussed above can be traced to the flat development
of external grants. The same holds true for the number of published
articles in refereed journals. Saying that does not mean that the staff
members are unproductive, quite the contrary, too much effort is laid
on publications that are not referee articles or scientific monographs. In
addition, it looks like this is a structural problem facing a much larger
community than Political Science department in Lund; however, it is not
an excuse.
Other signals from the department give a picture of cooperation and
synergy. One of these is the sub disciplines which are successfully encouraged
to collaborate in research projects and joint seminars. The decision
to eradicate the division between domestic politics and international
relations is wise as the border line between the domestic and the international
is blurred in the European Union. A separation of sub disciplines
may easily increase the risk of developing two or three mini departments,
which is a waste of resources. Also, in times of scarce resources such
an arrangement is vulnerable to conflicts about hiring and firing staff
members.
On the other hand, it looks like the research activity at the department
is scattered to a broad area of special interests. Academic freedom for the
university and its employees cannot be taken for granted; it is something
that must be actively guarded. It is therefore somewhat risky to propose
that the departments should encourage its staff to come more together as
an organisation of research and less act as a platform for individual interests.
The existing collaboration between sub disciplines could therefore
be further developed. Similarly seems the cooperation be well utilized
with other departments and research centres in Lund. A more organised
manner to perform research at the department including all types of staff
members could give more positive results in terms of individual publishing
and career making. This can well be done in cooperation with other
departments in Lund. In sum, the research activities of the department
grade very good.
Much hope and resources have been invested in the formatting of a propspective
Öresund region, bringing the neighbouring Danish and Swedish
regions together in order to become the leading region in Scandinavia.
More people than ever cross the bridge every day to live and work on
both sides of the connecting bridge. Many formal hinders have been
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abolished to make integration possible for common people. Universities
and their employees are by definition the most international institutions
and professionals. To our disappointment we cannot find anything from
the department report that reflects our expectations. The political science
department in Copenhagen is big, internationally oriented, and the
quality is high. Also the sub disciplines in Copenhagen seem to fit well
with those in Lund.
Danish and Swedish are defined as different languages divided by state
borders. If the latter would not be the case probably these two languages
could be defined as one with two main sub variations. Common people
who commute have easily overcome the language differences in their
work and living in the region. If common people can integrate, why is
it so complicated for the universities and their academic staff? So far it
looks like a tragedy seldom heard of. If needed, short courses in Danish
can be easily organised and Danish books can be included in teaching
and exams for the students.
The distance from Lund to Copenhagen is small in terms of travelling
time and language difference, distance to the English language and the
international arena is much greater. In fact and by definition, crossing
the bridge is an act of internationalisation both for the scholars in
Lund and in Copenhagen. Measures must be taken now by these two
departments to rapidly enhance institutional collaboration in terms
of exchange, joint courses, research projects, seminars to begin with.
Otherwise we must conclude that Lund University has very successfully
fulfilled the intentions from 1666 to turn the former Danes in Skåne
into Swedish nationalists. The plan for the future grades under these
circumstances only good.
7. Department of Social
and Economic Geography
7.1 Introduction
The Department of Social and Economic Geography of Lund University
has a long and distinguished international academic reputation. Despite
its relatively small size (it is below average size in the Social Sciences),
it stands out as one of Sweden’s leading geography departments, particularly
in the well-established research domains of the department. The
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department has 4 full time equivalent professors and 8 full time equivalent
senior lecturers. With a core academic staff of 12, the department
ranks among the smaller ones in terms of staff numbers. It has 9 full time
equivalent PhD students.
7.2 Overall Assessment
Its research is organised in four major research domains, namely economic
geography, social and urban geography, cultural historical landscape
research, and development geography. Given its small size and compared
with other, larger units, the geography department performs very well. It
has a good number of doctoral candidates and doctoral examinations, the
research intensity percentage (research revenue/total revenue) is high and
the research output, at least for the leading research clusters, is excellent.
There is significant collaboration, both across the university as with other
universities or academic institutions in Sweden and abroad. The research
output is somewhat uneven, with two research clusters that stand out
in terms of international standing, while the others are important in
national terms or in the process of consolidating their contribution (see
below). Most of the members of the department are active internationally
(particularly the two leading research areas) and have excellent international
collaborative networks.
7.3 Research Infrastructure
The research infrastructure is difficult to assess on the basis of the
available documentation and information. I had particular difficulties
navigating the departmental web-site. This is somewhat unevenly organised.
As the website is one of the key windows to world through which the
department presents itself, we would suggest that resources are devoted
to developing, and in particular, maintaining and updating research
information. This is also true for some of the other departments.
7.4 Research Quality
The research output in quantitative terms is impressive. In quality terms,
the research is somewhat uneven. Two research clusters or groups stand
out in terms of the quality of research and international reputation. The
economic geography group is clearly of the highest standard with leading
state of the art research published in international journals and with im-
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pressive other forms of research dissemination. The challenge here must
be to sustain this impact by enlarging the remit of innovation research
beyond the confines of clusters and technological innovation. The second
research area, around social and urban geographical research, focuses on
uneven development and a broadly conceived political economy of the
city and of urbanisation. This research is also of international standard
and is setting part of the agenda for urban geographical research internationally.
Moreover, this work has shown an extraordinary ability to fuse
together innovative theoretical arguments with socially highly relevant
research themes. These two research clusters are clearly excellent.
The research on cultural and historical landscape research is somewhat
more local/national in scope and dissemination. An effort can be made
here to bring this research more to the attention of an international
academic public with a strategy to support high impact journal publications.
Furthermore, the development geography research activities are
clearly an area in which expansion has taken place recently and that is
beginning to make a major impact. This research needs further consolidation
to become a fourth major pillar of research in the geography
department.
7.5 Collaboration
There is good evidence of significant collaboration across the university
(such as LUCSUS, CIRCLE, with Campus Helsingborg, and with cognate
disciplines across the university). In addition, the leading research
teams have extensive international networks and collaboration.
7.6 Research Activity and Teaching
The Department edits and manages one of the leading human geography
journals (Geografiska Annaler) and under Lund’s management, became
an ISI indexed journal. It has an excellent reputation and a very good citation
(albeit somewhat) uneven impact. Staff members are actively involved
in several leading international journals, research income is excellent, and
the geography department has organised a series of seminal international
academic meetings. The doctoral thesis output is above average given the
size of the unit and the publication record of its PhD students is excellent.
Research income is obtained from a variety of research institutions and
funding sources. There is an excellent relationship between teaching and
research as all research active members take part in teaching too.
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7.7 Evaluation of Future Plans
The department has clear and excellent visions for the future. While the
economic and urban/social research components are well established, the
future planning emphasizes development geography and environmental
geography. While these are indeed promising future research directions,
their development should not impede or affect negatively the research themes
that are currently excellent. The expansion into new domains should
not take place at the expense of the signature research of the department.
7.8 Future Potentials and Possibilities
Given the extraordinary variation of research in social and economic
geography internationally, the relatively small size of the department
does not allow for a comprehensive coverage of social and economic
geography. It is imperative, therefore, that either the department identifies
a limited and sustainable number of key areas in which it can consolidate
or develop a leading position nationally and internationally and/or to
strategically expand in domains in which it feels a leading position can
be built up. As suggested above, a significant part of the department’s research
is excellent, while other parts are very good, with the development
geography group showing good promise. The ambition to develop further
in the domain of environmental geography can be encouraged provided
it is based on intense collaboration with the Centre for Sustainability
Studies. A case can be made, we would argue, to incorporate LUCSUS
within the department of geography. This would increase the critical
mass and provide a cross-fertilization that would permit the currently
fragmented research output on nature, society and the environment to
become consolidated, with a greater impact as a positive result. Finally,
the relationships with CIRCLE need to be clarified. It is our view that
independent, theme-based, research centres tend to be difficult to sustain
in the long run and face the risk of reproducing the same research terrain.
Both CIRCLE and LUCSUS should be an integral part of a departmental
structure so as to permit a stable intellectual, academic, and institutional
setting that permits developing new research terrain in addition to
pursuing established research avenues.
7.9 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
It is striking that none of its four professors are female and only 33% of
its senior lecturers are female. An effort should be make to re-assess the
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gender balance, particularly in the upper levels of the academic hierarchy,
but also for senior lecturers. It is encouraging to see that the department
has a few non-Swedish and/or ethnic minority staff members. This should
be further encouraged in order to reflect the changing social composition
of Sweden and the rest of Europe.
8. Service Management (Organisation, Sociology,
Social Geography) – Campus Helsingborg
8.1 Overall assessment
The overall assessment is ‘very good’.
8.2 Research Quality
Overall the quantitative data indicates a rising trend of output and
activity. We expect that this grading will be higher next time this exercise
is undertaken, provided that the Department makes interesting and
synergistic appointments. The research in the areas of services, tourism,
and the ‘experience economy’ is impressive.
8.3 Collaboration
The international collaboration seems good as far as it is detailed but
could be further enhanced especially as relatively junior staff come to
develop their careers.
8.4 Research activity and teaching
The area of ‘services’ is where there is a great deal of synergy between
research and teaching. They seem to have developed this rather well and
we would commend this as a major strength of this group. Another area
is that of ‘mobilities research’.
8.5 Evaluation of future plans
The account of future plans was ‘excellent’. It seemed that the Department
was dealing well with what could be described as a ‘shambles’ of the
existing resource allocation system and was seeking to overcome what the
department saw as some of the rigidities of the Swedish system.
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8.6 Future potentials and possibilities
We would recommend that the areas the scholars work in are ‘international’
and therefore they need to be fully part of the research communities
where these developments are taking place.
9. Lund University Centre
for Sustainability Studies
9.1 Introduction
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies) was
founded in 2000 and has recently become a cross-faculty centre (January
2005). It has grown rapidly, although it has only a small core of full
academic staff (1 professor and 3 associate professors). This expansion of
LUCSUS was based primarily on outside or contract research funding.
LUCSUS is a classic example of university strategies to establish network-
or umbrella-type centres on themes of a contemporary relevance,
but which fall outside of the ‘standard’ academic division of labour. The
centre is also responsible for teaching a master’s program (LUMES)
9.2 Overall Assessment
The success of LUCSUS is clear from its rapid expansion over the past
few years, mainly on the strength of its success in obtaining external
grant income. Its research activities are impressive and its international
networking is excellent. As is often the case with centres that depend
largely on external grant income for securing research (and, in particular,
salaries), the research efforts is largely set and framed by the funding
agencies and their objectives, needs, and requirements. This is visible in
the research output of the Centre, which shows a high level of diversity,
a tendency to focus on applied research, and difficulty to identify and
develop cutting-edge or blue sky research. While extremely important,
the research at LUCSUS is comparable to that found in other centres
dedicated to sustainability or environmental management research. The
institutional structure and organization of such organizations make it
difficult to become truly excellent on the international terrain.
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9.3 Research Quality
The assessment of the research quality of LUCSUS is difficult to undertake.
On the one hand, the quantitative output is impressive, the insertion
in international research networks excellent and their ability to obtain
national and international research funding is significant. This, however,
does not always lead to research output that changes the parameters of
our understanding of ‘sustainability’ or that leads to path-breaking and
state-of-the-art output that will set the agenda for future research in the
field. The extremely high dependence on external funding may have a
negative impact on originality of research, type of research, and innovative
quality of output. The research quality assessment is good.
9.4 Collaboration
There is clear evidence of intensive collaboration both across the university
and with a wide range of highly recognised research centres in
Europe and elsewhere. Much of the funding for the research activities is
international and most research projects are internationally collaborative
projects. The collaborative effort is very good.
9.5 Research Activity and Teaching
There is a clear and positive mutual interaction between research and
teaching through the International Masters program in Environmental
Studies and Sustainability Science.
9.6 Evaluation of Future Plans/Potentials and Possibilities
The objective of LUCSUS is to strengthen its role as stimulator of communication
and cooperation within academia as well as between academia
and civil society. Given the challenges listed in the vision, this is a
considerable effort. At this stage, it is unclear whether LUCSUS would
be able to achieve this within its present institutional structure and a
research capacity that is largely dependent on outside grant income. This
seems to us to be the greatest challenge, i.e. to assure the ‘sustainability’
of LUCSUS and to nurture path-breaking and innovative research while
maintaining a role as public interface with a limited core staff and a high
contract-research based configuration. Perhaps it is possible to consider
LUCSUS to be institutionally affiliated with or organised within one of
the existing departments working on similar or cognate themes, such
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as, for example, the department of social and economic geography. The
assessment is good.
10. Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies
The Centre is young, founded in 1996. Independent centres for Area
Studies connected to universities have steadily been growing around
the globe. East and South East Asia is the strongest growing region in
the world with prospects to be the leading economy and political power
in the future. Therefore it seems well motivated to enhance teaching
and research in that particular region. In fact, although the Centre has
expanded, the academic staff is small as no more than five persons are
employed. Of them, the professor is on a permanent basis, the researchers
are not permanently employed. Planning for the future is problematic
when the staff is small and almost all of them lack permanent positions.
10.1 Research Activity and Quality
Although the Centre lacks a critical mass among its staff, the productivity
in terms of publications is in a relatively good mode. This is due to the
strong international orientation enhanced by post-doctoral fellowships.
The fellowships only last for a two year period which is not optimal to develop
a sustainable research unit. Nevertheless, under these given circumstances
the success of research could not have been reached without a
very good international collaboration. On the contrary, as the Centre is
short of permanent positions a closer collaboration with the Department
of Political Science in Lund could well be developed. The strength of
International Relations (IR) at the Department and the focus on East
and Southeast Asia at the Centre could give a good opportunity for joint
research projects. In addition, it could well be seriously considered to plan
institutional arrangements where the Centre is an autonomous part of the
Department. By doing so a synergy could be achieved benefitting both
institutions. The department ranks as very good.
10.2 Teaching
Teaching at the Centre is solely focused on an international two year
Master’s programme. The courses are interdisciplinary. The academic
staff and the post-doctoral fellows are all involved in teaching. However,
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the Centre has a handicap because it does not provide a PhD programme
with the aim to produce researchers in the field. The question is whether
the Centre has capacities enough to fulfil requirements for such a programme.
Again, an institutional alliance with IR at the Department of
Political Science could be the solution giving benefits to both departments.
Results will not come automatically, and the Centre needs to have
enough teaching resources in order to reach a suitable balance in the division
of labour between the departments. A joint PhD programme could,
if successful, be a sustainable base for internal researcher recruitment.
10.3 Future potentials and possibilities
The interdisciplinary profile of the Centre is necessarily not a problem if a
closer collaboration with IR at the Department of Political Science will be
enhanced. In fact, the IR network is interdisciplinary as well. In addition,
following the official statement of the Copenhagen based Nordic Institute
of Asian Studies (NISA); they collaborate actively with universities
in the Öresund region. However, nothing is mentioned about NISA in
the self evaluation form. It might be a lapse, but if not, then this matter
must be seen as a problem. Again the Öresund collaboration must be
highlighted as the natural base for international cooperation and which
can give strength and enough critical mass for research and teaching. At
present, the plan ranks good.
10.4 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The gender balance at the Centre is not equally fulfilled. A man (the professor)
is the chair of the Centre, whereas three out of four researchers are
female. Added together there is a slight female majority but in terms of
positions in the hierarchy, there is not. Given the small size of the Centre,
possibilities at the moment are practically non-existent to make a career
in the organisation. Positions as lecturers could be an option to create,
given that resources are provided. Shared lecturers with the department
of Political Science is another, or why not take the train to Copenhagen
and negotiate a common strategy.
11. Centre for European Studies (CFE)
11.1 Overall assessment:
CFE is a coordinating centre for promoting research on Europe, connecting
scholars within the faculties of social sciences, humanities, economy
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and legal studies. Another priority is to inform the public about research
on Europe. The centre is staffed with three part time positions.
11.2 Research quality
CFE is not a research and teaching organization in its own right. It has to be
underlined, however, that CFE has played an active role in trying to provide
external funding for two cooperative research programs, “Energy and Security
in Europe” and “Political Uses of memory in Europe”. As a coordinating
centre, CFE mainly has to be evaluated by other criteria like collaboration.
11.3 Collaboration
Since 2005, CFE has organized three international conferences/workshops
with convincing success. Since 2003, 12 Working Papers and one Conference
paper volume have been published, with two more Conference
papers to be published during the first half of 2008. Collaboration is
excellent/outstanding.
11.4 Future plans, potentials and possibilities
CFE is planning a collaborative scheme together with Forum of Contemporary
Europe at Stanford University. In the last two years, CFE has
become increasingly active in coordinating joint efforts to provide external
funding for interdisciplinary research projects, thus illustrating the highly
important coordinating role of the centre.
12. Brief remarks on Human Rights
Research and teaching in HR is an activity crossing faculties, departments
and disciplines. HR is addressed particularly in the evaluation material
from Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology (and Social
Anthropology), Sociology of Law and Centre for East and South-East
Asian Studies. The Department of Political science is worth special credit
for establishing and promoting HR as a new interdisciplinary research
and teaching subject at Lund University. The future potential for further
collaboration is obvious. There might be a question whether HR research
in a greater extent should address not only “international” HR topics, but
focus more on HR challenges in a national context as well.
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13. Criminology and Network for studies
of criminology, deviance and social problems
13.1 Overall assessment
In spite of modest resources, this research and teaching environment is
highly productive. Network for studies of criminology, deviance and
social problems is a vigorous meeting place for researchers and students
from various faculties, including both senior and junior members.
13.2 Research quality
Research projects focus on a manifold of social phenomena, not only restricted
to traditional criminological issues. The aim of widening the scope
of criminology theoretically is successful and innovative. Theoretical and
analytical perspectives are characterized by diversity, and the development
and using of qualitative methods in especially strong. Members of
the network have published internationally as well as nationally. Research
quality must be ranked as excellent.
13.3 Collaboration
The Network represents interdisciplinary collaboration within Lund
University. There has also been cooperation with researchers from other
universities in Sweden, Europe, New Zeeland and US. Collaboration is
very good, and worth developing further.
13.4 Research activity and teaching
The relation between research and teaching is very good in the sense of
mutual enrichment; research is integrated with various courses in criminology
and social work. The demand for education in criminology for
undergraduate as well as graduate students is growing. There seems to be
a highly problematic relationship between research and teaching due to
resources. The recruitment of a combined lecturer/researcher is a step in the
right direction, but does not seem to solve the problem in a substantial way.
13.5 Future plans, potentials and possibilities
Criminology has been pointed out by the Department of Sociology
(and Social Anthropology) as one of 8 research environments with the
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aim of producing 3–5 distinguished environments by 2010. This should
not surprise anyone engaged in criminological research and education
in other countries. Criminology at Lund University has for many years
represented inspiring impact on criminological research especially in
other Nordic countries. The scientific potential for developing this impact
further both nationally and internationally, is excellent.
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Panel 7 – ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT (LUSEM)
PANEL 7 – ECONOMICS
AND MANAGEMENT (LUSEM)
CONTENTS
1. Department of Economic History..............................................................189
2. Centre of Economic Demography .............................................................192
3. Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence
in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE).............................................................195
4. Department of Business Administration....................................................198
5. Department of Business Law.....................................................................202
6. Department of Economics........................................................................ 205
7. Department of Statistics .......................................................................... 209
8. Department of Informatics........................................................................211
9. Research Policy Institute (RPI)....................................................................213
10. The Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies.....................................217
1. Department of Economic History
1.1 Unit Description
Independent economic history departments have traditionally been
largely confined to Britain and Scandinavia. In recent years, the majority
have disappeared from Britain. Lund now has probably the largest economic
history department in the world. The survivor technique therefore
indicates that the department must be of high quality.
The department employs close to 30 researchers, teachers, and post-docs,
and around 20 PhD students. Faculty members are mainly organized as
research groups, under the broad headings of economic and historical
demography, economic growth and structural change, and economic
growth, structural change and distribution in developing countries. Two
research groups closely connected with the department received first
round Linneaus Grants, the Centre for Economic Demography (covered
in another report) and CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation, Research and
Competence in the Learning Economy).
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1.2. Research infrastructure
No information is provided about seed corn for new research projects,
except that within-faculty research funding is insufficient, which tends
to perpetuate a high reliance on external funding, about quality control
in for example grant applications, and there is apparently no explicit
research strategy, beyond the research groupings.
1.3. Research
Quality. The publications report is apparently incomplete. 123 items are
listed compared with a total of 234 reported in Form 1. Inspection of
individual staff entries on the departmental website points to at least some
of the omissions. For what it is worth, few papers listed appear to have
been published in core British or American economic history journals
(two articles in the Economic History Review). On the other hand, papers
were published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Evolutionary
Economics, European Review of Economic History, Structural Change
and Economic Dynamics, Population Studies and Social Science History.
Productivity. Dividing published items, including 30 books, by researchers
indicates an impressive average level of productivity.
Relevance. Subjects of research, such as innovation and ecological
economics, are socially relevant.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. The department has been very effective
in attracting external research funding. In the years 2003–07, no
recruitment of researchers with a PhD from a university other than Lund
has taken place, although there have been four internal recruits in this
period. Two of the PhDs listed concern contemporary or near contemporary
South East Asia, but no connection has been identified with the
South East Asian Centre.
Overall, on the basis of the information available, the research quality is
excellent.
1.4. Collaboration
There is considerable participation in international networks and international
conferences. Departmental members have been Presidents of
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scientific societies, on editorial boards of scholarly journals and given
plenary and keynote lectures. Overall collaboration is excellent.
1.5 Research activity and teaching
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
1.6 Future plans
Identifying ‘opportunities’ with future plans, the department considers
that it can offer a research environment and research training program in
the discipline of economic history that is difficult to match elsewhere in
the world. The department therefore hopes to take on a role as a nucleus
for research training generally and for post-docs in specialized fields of
research.
There is also concern that, with a more multi-disciplinary orientation of
research, the character of the discipline will be transformed. Although a
necessary and in some respects beneficial development, the downside may
be an erosion of the core of the discipline of economic history. It is not
clear that the department was aware they were expected to indicate their
future plans.
1.7 Future potential and possibilities
The departmental research would probably benefit form closer links with
Economics and with the South East Asia centre. The department believes
that a stronger presence in the undergraduate Economics program would
improve their graduate recruitment- as well as enhancing undergraduate
economics degrees.
1.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
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1.9 Overall assessment
Research
Excellent
Collaboration Excellent
Research/teaching
Future plans
Overall assessment Excellent
This is an unusual department by international standards with an excellent
research and international collaboration record. The department has
proved adept at interdisciplinary co-operation and obtaining external
funding. The addition of some more economics to the economic history
may well propel the research into the outstanding category.
2. Centre of Economic Demography
2.1 Unit Description
The Centre started its activities in late 2006, but a smaller research
group – mainly within the Department of Economic History – has
existed earlier. The following evaluation covers, however, mainly the
research done within the Centre in its relatively short lifetime. There is
no information available about the size of the staff in the RQ-material,
and all the researchers have dual affiliations, the second being in departments
within the social sciences and medicine. Most of the salaries of the
senior members are therefore paid by other departments, but the Centre’s
annual report shows that 22 senior researchers and 5 post-docs have
used part of their time on projects initiated by or in cooperation with the
Centre. There is no undergraduate teaching, but the Centre offers courses
to graduate students and has started a master programme in economic
demography and a PhD-programme. So far several PhD-students from
other departments have taken part in courses and seminars organised
by the Centre. Most of the resources defrayed directly by the Centre
come from a 10-year grant from the Swedish Research Council under
the so called Linnaeus programme, awarded after a national competition
covering all sciences in Sweden, and the Centre has also received other
grants from national bodies.
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2.2 Research infrastructure
A special interest is given to the building-up of a database exploiting the
excellent Swedish historical population material for a sample of parishes
over a period of three centuries in order to allow for life histories of
individuals and to connect these histories to economic and environmental
conditions.
2.3 Research
Quality. Demography is a subject, which needs insight in as different
sciences as medicine, biology, statistics, sociology, economics, economic
history and general history. Research results can consequently be published
in a wide variety of journals, and the publication tradition in some
of the areas studied by the Centre is monographs and contributions to
thematic volumes rather than articles in journals. Articles have mainly
been published in medical journals within the research topic of social
epidemiology, and among them, several in top journals. Articles and
working papers on problems in Swedish social policy and migration
topics have to a higher extent been addressed to a Swedish audience.
Among the publications with topics from historical demography, a book
with the director of the Centre as one of the co-authors was honored with
the American Sociological Association’s award for being an outstanding
book on Asia. Since there are no other institutions in the world, which
have exactly the same research profile as the CED, comparisons are difficult
to undertake. Other institutions would e.g. try to cover all aspects
of demography with theoretical issues as the main task, undertake broad
population studies, or specialize in other topics such as historical demography
or epidemiology.
Productivity. The annual report has a list of 174 publications from 2006
to 2008, covering a wide variety of subjects – although a few of them
with topics which have little connection to the research topics of the
Centre. Compared to the time used within the Centre’s framework, the
productivity is high for all the individuals, but demonstrates also the very
different publication traditions of the various disciplines, e.g. medical
articles with several authors, and economic history monographs.
Relevance. Many of the topics, which the Centre plans to study during
the grant period, are very relevant for society in general, and the fact that
the Linnaeus-grant has been given to the Centre in an open competition
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is an indication of that. Among the topics there are important questions
for present day European societies, such as integration of immigrants,
consequences of declining fertility, and changing partnership patterns.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. The Centre has in the course of
its short lifetime been able to attract researchers from a wide variety of
disciplines at Lund University, and thus to create the interdisciplinary
environment which is essential in order to study important aspects of
demography. The organising of courses and seminars for graduates from
several disciplines is also a good way to mobilise future interest in a
subject which, until now, has been rather weakly represented at Swedish
universities. The interdisciplinary research, which the broad group of
researchers makes possible has, however, not yet been demonstrated in
publications from the Centre.
2.4 Collaboration
The core group of researchers has a wide net of contacts, both in Sweden
and internationally, and the publication list has many examples of
co-authorships with non-Swedish colleagues. Among the initiatives is
participation in a European training of PhD-students in demography in
cooperation with leading centres in Europe. The staff has taken part in
many international meetings and presented papers on these occasions,
and visitors from several foreign demography departments have visited
Lund. Among the partners the Centre cooperates with are also institutions
in China and Japan.
2.5 Research activity and teaching:
Not applicable (not a teaching unit).
2.6 Future plans
In connection with the grants, the Centre has to draw up yearly plans
and reports which demonstrate that the Centre has plans for a range of
specific projects under the general heading of economic demography.
The potential for accomplishing these plans seem to be present in the
group of researchers attached to the Centre, but the real test will be if it
can achieve the interdisciplinary connection between the members of
this group of researchers, in order to give new insight into various topics
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studied. The period in which the Centre has existed is still too short to
say to which extent this goal can be achieved
2.7 Future potential and possibilities
The Centre has the potential for becoming an important international
institution in the study of economic demography. It has already established
a wide range of international cooperation, and if its plans for
interdisciplinary studies are realised, the results will have great impact
internationally.
2.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
2.9 Overall assessment
Research
Collaboration
Research/teaching
Future plans
Overall assessment
Very good
Excellent
Inapplicable
Excellent
Excellent
The Centre has the potential for becoming an important international
institution in the study of economic demography.
3. Centre for Innovation, Research and
Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE)
3.1 Unit Description
Established in 2004, CIRCLE is a large interdisciplinary research centre
focusing on the interrelations between knowledge creation, innovation,
and economic growth. Many of its staff come from, and have their
primary appointments in, other departments and institutes. The Unit
has substantial long term research funding: a Centre of Excellence grant
from VINNOVA (a Swedish government agency promoting innovation),
2004–2010, and in 2006 it succeeded in obtaining a highly competitive
ten-year Linnaeus grant from the Swedish Research Council (one of
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only five awarded in the social sciences and humanities). The Unit’s
teaching function is limited, though many staff members teach in their
‘home’ departments. As noted in the self-evaluation, because many staff
members have joint appointments, data on personnel as well as output are
unreliable.
3.2 Research infrastructure
In 2006 CIRCLE absorbed a research unit from the University’s Faculty
of Engineering. In 2007 it re-located to a building shared with two other
Units, one of which is the Research Policy Institute (RPI). Worthy of
note are the Innovation Database for Economic Research (CIDER),
maintained by the Unit, and its excellent and easily navigated website.
On the website the Unit’s Electronic Working Papers can be found and
downloaded.
3.3 Research
Ouality. Research is published in a range of journals covering the
economics of innovation, research policy, environmental and regional
studies, energy policy etc. With impact factors largely between 1.00 and
2.00 these are significant journals in the social sciences. To a considerable
extent, work produced by CIRCLE is of high quality.
Productivity. The multiple affiliations of many staff members make it
difficult to assess the Unit’s productivity. Form 1.3 lists an output of 33
scientific publications in 2004, rising to 86 in 2007, or 261 in total. (For
comparison, CIRCLE’s list of publications includes 510 items. Excluding
conference presentations and unpublished reports (that are also listed)
yields approximately 110 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 120 books
and book chapters.) Relating the 2007 output to personnel structure
reported in Form 1.1 (earlier figures are not given) yields 14.3 publications
per staff member (17.2 per full time equivalent). Whilst this figure
is undoubtedly an artifact reflecting the difficulties of counting here, it is
clear that the Unit is highly productive.
Relevance. The focus of the Unit’s work, its funding, the large number of
keynote lectures given by senior staff, as well as memberships in advisory
committees etc. all attest to both the scholarly and the societal relevance
of CIRCLE’s work.
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Vitality and Organizational Capacity. Three factors suggest that here too
CIRCLE should be assessed highly. First, and no doubt partly reflecting
the Linnaeus grant obtained in 2007, the Unit’s research income doubled
between 2006 and 2007. Second (and doubtless reflecting its success in
obtaining external funding), the staff “has grown from zero to more than
thirty researchers” in less than four years. Nearly half of the new recruitments
were from outside Lund. Finally, and importantly, the Unit’s
programme of work is well structured in four interrelated but clearly
specified areas.
3.4 Collaboration
The Unit collaborates widely and internationally. It has an international
scientific advisory group (membership is given on the website), and
participated in two Networks of Excellence funded under the EU’s 6th
Framework programme. Its publication list points to many collaborations
with scholars abroad, some of them world leaders in their field.
3.5 Research activity and teaching:
Not applicable (not a teaching unit).
3.6 Future Plans
The Unit’s future plans correspond largely to the 10 year Linnaeus grant
that it obtained in 2007. As explained earlier, the major thrust is towards
integrating research on knowledge creation, entrepreneurship and innovation:
areas that in the past have tended to be studied separately. Moreover,
the intention is to study these interconnections in a comparative context
(geographically, sectorally and institutionally). The self-evaluation sets out
a clear, ambitious, and innovative programme of future work.
3.7 Future potential and possibilities
Given the Unit’s resources and record of scientific productivity, there is good
reason for thinking that these plans will be implemented creatively and
fruitfully. The only caveats to be noted, and these are given in the Unit’s own
SWOT analysis are (a) the limited number of PhD students (particularly
unfortunate given the number of senior researchers) and (b) a possible lack
of long-term funding when the VINNOVA grant expires in 2010.
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3.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
3.9 Overall assessment
Research
Excellent
Collaboration Excellent
Research/teaching Inapplicable
Future plans Excellent
Overall assessment Excellent
This is a research unit of very high quality, integrating and promoting
state of the art research in its field. Its research program is extremely well
conceived, and the combination of generous funding and intellectual
leadership that are clearly in evidence bode well for the future.
4. Department of Business Administration
4.1 Unit Description
The Department of Business Administration covers the classical functional
areas within the field: corporate finance, financial accounting and management
control, marketing, organization, entrepreneurship and strategic
management. Maintaining activities within all these areas is a requirement
in order to be able to cover all aspects of teaching business administration;
in terms of research, it is clear that such a diversity of topics raises special
research leadership challenges. The department tries to balance the need for
breadth with the need to focus research on certain areas. In its self-evaluation,
four research focus areas are mentioned as especially successful: Lund
International Food Studies (a group mainly related to marketing topics),
the KLIO group (knowledge, leadership and identity in organizations) and
the corporate finance and governance research groups. But many other,
smaller activities seem to be ongoing. Research in business administration
seems to be mostly organized in the Lund Institute of Economic Research
(LRI), which list many other, mostly smaller research areas.
The department consists of (figures refer to full time equivalents in 2007)
7 professors, 27 senior lectures, 24 doctoral students and 26 other staff.
While this makes for a sizeable department, it is important to remember
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that the group covers a range of functional areas, with only limited
overlap and/or synergies, so that in each functional area the research
group working with it seems to be of limited size. It was not possible to
get precise aggregate information on how much of the staff time can be
devoted to research; the minimum requirements of 10–20% are very
low by international standards. If one multiplies the full time equivalent
of professors and senior lectures with 0.3 one gets the equivalent of 10
research man years, which is very little giving the broad range of fields
to be covered, and the large number of students (e.g. about 300 per year
already on the B.Sc. program, which is only one of the programs).
The self-evaluation mentions the dependence on external funds (mainly
to free research time); however, for 2007 only a minor sum of 754 kSEK
is listed as external research grants. The panel assumes that the research
funding is mostly located at LRI and therefore not listed here. The actual
volume of external grants is therefore not known.
4.2 Research infrastructure
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
4.3 Research
Quality. Corresponding to the diversity of topics dealt with there is also
a wide range of publications, but it is also clear that some of the focus
areas account for the bulk of high impact output. The KLIO group, the
entrepreneurship group and the marketing group have a number of high
level publications. Several publications from the KLIO group are in absolute
top journals, like the Academy of Management Review and Human
Relations, and can be expected to have a strong impact on the field. The
publication list contains a very high number of dissertations (though the
exact number is unclear, see below), but most of these seem to be in the
form of monographs with little direct impact on the research community.
Productivity. The lack of information on actual amount of time that can
be devoted to research makes an evaluation difficult. Also, the publication
list obtained contains 148 items, whereas the self-evaluation report
suggests 356 items. All of this makes an evaluation here highly tentative.
Of the 148 items on the publication list, 70 (!) are PhD dissertations and
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30 are journal articles. These figures are highly discrepant from the figures
in the self-evaluation form (27 and 108) and are not easily reconciled.
If the figures computed from the literature list are correct, this would
amount to 5 journal publications per year, or 0.5 journal publications per
year per research man year based on the assumptions on research time.
This is certainly in line with productivity figures of other departments of
business administration in the world, but does not make this department
a high performer. As noted above, though, these figures probably conceal
enormous differences in productivity between the various research groups.
Relevance. The focus areas chosen for research at the department are
all highly topical. The work of the KLIO group, doing research on
subjectivity and sense-making in knowledge-intensive organizations,
is highly relevant for the knowledge economy and its development.
The work in corporate finance and governance is highly relevant in a
globalized economy. The food studies group has contributed relevant
research on functional foods and other topical areas. Also research on
public management and on strategic management seems to be well-linked
with stakeholders interests in Sweden and elsewhere. Also the research in
cooperation with CIRCLE has a high degree of relevance.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. The mean age of professors and
senior lectures is rather high (55 and 47 years), which could give some
concern for renewal capabilities. On the other hand, there is a steady production
of PhD students, though it is difficult to see how many of these
can be retained at the department for an academic career. The description
of research priorities for the next 5–10 years is a cautious extension of current
activities, with some new perspectives. Long-term development will
crucially depend on finding a good balance between covering all fields of
business administration in teaching, and concentrating research in a few
areas, and on finding ways of freeing research time for senior staff.
4.4 Collaboration
There is ample collaboration both with other researchers at Lund, with
Swedish and foreign researchers at other universities, and with industry
and public bodies. Part of the research is carried out as action research,
where an industry partner is both the beneficiary of the work and the
object of study. Many contacts with the practical world occur via LRI.
Especially the KLIO group and the corporate finance and governance
group have extensive international networks.
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4.5 Research activity and teaching
The heavy teaching load at this unit seems to severely limit the time that
can be allocated for research.
4.6 Future plans
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
4.7 Future potential and possibilities
The department has some high class research groups, but also suffers
from the fragmentation that to some extent is unavoidable when one
department has to cover all of business administration with a restricted
staff. The number of professors seems extremely small with respect to
the number of different areas within business administration (6) to be
covered, and can partly hamper the development of stronger research
units. If the whole department, and not only some research groups, is to
become a top player in research, it will be crucial to concentrate research
even more than now on a few focus areas, and / or increase the number
of research faculty / find means of freeing time of the staff involved for
research activities. A specific question is the location of Finance, which
now is both within Business Administration and Economics, a division
which may have a negative effect on the development of that area to an
even stronger one within LUSEM.
4.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
4.9 Overall assessment
Research
Very good
Collaboration Excellent
Research/teaching Good
Future plans
Good
Overall assessment Very good
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The department covers a wide diverse range of topics in business administration.
For some of these, research groups that do research of top level
international quality have been formed. The unevenness in the production
can be related to the compromises between having to teach all topics
and concentrating research in a few areas.
5. Department of Business Law
5.1 Unit Description
Besides Business Administration, the Schools of Economics and Management
both in the Nordic countries and elsewhere, consist usually of subjects
that are closely connected to the research of business administration and
business life. Business Law is one of those subjects which is essential as
part of a whole. It is an absolute prerequisite in teaching economics students,
and in order to do that, it is essential that in the same institution there is
also research which focuses to problems of economics and business law.
The Department of Business Law has long traditions in Lund. Many
of its researchers are well known in the Nordic countries and some also
internationally. The department has four professors and four senior lecturers.
In addition to that there are six full time doctoral students. As such
the department is probably a little bit larger than the average business law
department in the Schools of Economics in the Nordic region.
Research primarily focuses on economic questions with respect to the
company, industry and the society. The purpose is to contribute to the
theoretical framework and understanding of legal issues within the
fields of law, business administration and other social science disciplines.
Research projects in corporate and tax law take an economic and international
focus, sharing common ground with business administration,
economics and public finance.
5.2 Research infrastructure
Research is organized in a way which is typical to business law departments
or law schools, i.e. each researcher more or less focuses on his or
her own research interests. However that doesn´t prevent researchers to
take part in larger research programs with individuals focusing to same
topics in other institutions.
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Even though the department is probably larger than an average business
law department, it still is too small to form research groups. The department
has to cover various legal fields in order to be able to cover all the
teaching needs of LUSEM. Despite that, the department has succeeded
quite well in research and in attracting new doctoral students.
5.3 Research
When evaluating the research in business law, one should bear in mind
that legal studies, legal research and its publishing tradition differs quite
a lot from that of for example economics. Firstly, the legislation in every
country is still very national and that is why legal research quite often
focuses in national questions and is written in the national language. It
also has to be that way because the society needs knowledge about national
legislation. The second difference is that dissertations in legal studies
typically are large monographs which require at least three to four years
to complete and during that time, the doctoral student rarely publishes
anything else than perhaps some working papers. Also post doc research
is often published in books. A large monograph might require the same
amount of work as many articles. Therefore the number of publications
of legal researchers is normally much lower than what the researchers
in other disciplines publish. The third difference is that there are not so
many possibilities to publish in international journals, at least it is very
much dependent of the subject, i.e. the field of law in question.
Quality. The delivered material consists only of the topics of the publications.
The research is mostly published as monographs. A few articles
have also been published in international journals (especially in law and
economics). Compared to other business law units, at least in the Nordic
countries, this is a positive development and one could say that the
Business Law Department in Lund is much more internationally oriented
than the other similar units. It is not possible to evaluate the total quality
without seeing all the actual publications. Based on earlier encountered
articles, the research can be considered as excellent or very good; the
research output of this unit has a good reputation in the community of
law researchers. Some of the staff members have also been awarded with
international and national awards.
Productivity. When considering the productivity, one has to bear in
mind the publishing traditions of the discipline. The department has
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been fairly productive. There are two doctoral dissertations, a number
of books and articles. The productivity seems to be above average when
compared to corresponding units.
Relevance. The research seems to be well focused to business life. The
present research covers legal issues with respect to companies’ external
reporting, international tax law, regulation and tax of small and medium
enterprises, investor protection and securities law banking law accounting
and auditing law. They are all relevant questions and can contribute both
the needs of society and to the theoretical framework and understanding
of legal issues within the fields of law, business administration and other
social science disciplines.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. The mean age of the permanent
staff is a little over 50. The advantage of this is that they have a long
experience and a good contact network. Some of the teachers are close to
retirement, which will give the unit the possibility to do some reallocation
of resources or make some refocusing of research activities. Maybe
the department should consider concentrating to only some of the legal
fields that are now included in its portfolio.
5.4 Collaboration
Collaboration with the scientific society seems to be very active both
in national and international level. The department is well connected
according to many indicators. Researchers are often invited lectures to
international conferences; they act as editors in journals and evaluators
in academic assignments. They have also many contacts to the practical
business life. Collaboration can be graded as very good or excellent.
5.5 Research activity and teaching
The interaction between research and teaching is good. Faculty members
are both teachers and active researchers. Research papers and text books
written by departments own academic staff are often used in courses.
5.6 Future plans
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
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5.7 Future potential and possibilities
In international comparison the department is small or middle size (in
Nordic comparison middle size or large). It is very active especially in
international contacts (lectures, keynote speakers, memberships etc.) even
that publications in international journals are not so many. Since the unit
already is rather internationally oriented, it might consider developing
that even further. The unit also tries to cover many different fields of law
in order to fulfill its teaching obligations. However if the resources don´t
increase, it might be worthwhile to consider concentrating to only some
of the legal fields that are now included in its portfolio.
5.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
Women are underrepresented, only 1/3 of the academic staff is female.
The equality of genders has been improving during the last few years and
most probably it will continue.
5.9 Overall assessment
Research
very good
Collaboration very good
Research/teaching excellent
Future plans –
Overall assessment very good
Department has a strong research profile combined with teaching in
various fields of business law. The evaluation of research is somewhat
problematic because the publications of the unit are not included in the
material. The department and its researchers are already well recognized
in the Nordic countries. Its research in the field of law and economics is
also known internationally.
6. Department of Economics
6.1 Unit Description
Economics has a long and prestigious tradition at Lund University.
Nowadays the Department of Economics (DE) is the second largest
unit within LUSEM after the Department of Business Administration
in terms of several size indicators (academic staff, full time equivalent,
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PhD students and total revenue) but the largest one as far as revenue for
research is concerned. It is second (after the Department of Economic
History) when considering the ratio between revenue from research
sources and revenue from undergraduate education.
6.2 Research infrastructure
Teaching and research is organized in a number of specialized areas (eight
research profiles composed by 5–10 senior researchers and the same
number of PhD students) with the potential for fruitful interactions.
6.3 Research
Quality. DE undertakes high quality research on a broad range of
themes. The panel received a more detailed list of 180 publications for
DE, including 89 articles (this being a narrower set than the publications
listed in Form 1.3). These articles were evaluated by the panel on the
basis of the French CNR 13 ranking which range from five stars for top
generalist journal to one star. The data were also evaluated using the
Journal Citation Reports databank. Due to the absence of a bibliometric
analysis, it was necessary to use these indicators, which however should
be considered with some caution. Twenty (out of 89) articles were
published in top field journals (four stars journals). Of these, six articles
were published in journals with an impact factor greater than 2. Five or
six groups with high quality publications could be identified.
Productivity. Research productivity at DE has reached a good standard
by international levels and has considerably improved overtime. Articles
(table 1.3) per academic staff full time equivalent (table 1.1) increased
from 1,7 in 2003 to 2,8 in 2007. This would be a very good level only if
all the articles considered were published in journals included in international
databanks such as Scopus. The overall figure for publications
per academic staff full time equivalent also rose from 2.07 in 2003 to 3.7
in 2007. Better data however would be necessary to offer a more precise
evaluation of productivity.
13. French National Committee for Scientific Research (July 2004), Journal Ranking in
Economics and Management
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Relevance. The themes addressed by DE are of high social relevance. Just
to mention some themes, work is undertaken on health related behavior,
financial risk, collective decision making in a democratic society, trust
attitude, econometric methods with applications in various fields, social
networks, cartels, exchange rates and economic development in China.
The relevance is also indicated by the prizes received both by staff and
PhD students.
Vitality and organizational capacity. DE has won a large number of
research projects and has been successful in terms of external research
funds. The renewal indicators in table 3.3 show that only one new
faculty member was appointed in 2003–2007. In the self evaluation it is
mentioned that the new faculty member has “good research possibilities”.
The data in fact show that DE has been able to strengthen a research area
(econometrics), which with microeconomics and macroeconomics form
the core for a good PhD program.
6.4 Collaboration
There is close interaction within the Department between the different
profiles, which collaborate in joint research projects, and interaction
with other Departments of LUSEM (which takes the form of common
participation to the Centre for Economic Demography, joint master
program with other Faculties). The Department is well connected with
the international scientific community as indicated e.g. by the good
number of presentations at international conferences, and memberships /
positions in scientific societies. However, it seems to be attracting only a
small number of incoming research visitors and has only a few international
research collaborations.
6.5 Research activity and teaching
The interaction between research and teaching is good (faculty are both
teachers and active researchers in their respective fields, publications from
researchers are regularly used in various courses).
6.6 Future plans
The design of future plans is convincing. The self evaluation clearly
acknowledges that the main weakness of DE lies in the core area of
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Macroeconomics. The Department presents a realistic and focused plan
for the future: strengthening Macroeconomics and then focusing on the
existing most successful research lines, targeting areas in which a position
of excellence can be achieved within Sweden and internationally, and
finally strengthening international collaborations.
6.7 Future potential and possibilities
The Department presents a large potential, given the quality, relevance
and breadth of research activity and the existence of critical mass.
The priorities as to future development are already in the DE agenda:
strengthening core areas (in particular Macroeconomics); identifying
areas in which it can achieve a position of excellence in Sweden and
internationally; strengthening international collaborations. Crucial for
the success of the plan is persisting in a policy of very selective recruitment.
6.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The percentage of women in total staff has increased in 2007 versus
2003 (but it has decreased at the Professor level). DE stands on a middle
position as to the percentage of women at the level of Professor, which
ranges for LUSEM from 0% (DEH, DBA, DS) to 40% (CESAS). It is
8% for DE.
6.9 Overall assessment
Research
Excellent
Collaboration Very good
Research/teaching Good
Future plans Excellent
Overall assessment Excellent
DE has the potential of rising in the international ranking of Department
of Economics as it has several complementary research groups producing
high quality research, which in recent years have considerably increased
their productivity.
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7. Department of Statistics
7.1 Unit description
This is a very small unit (on average 2 professors, an academic staff
total of 3 persons) also involved in teaching, and with a modest Ph.D.
production (1 exam in last 5 years). The age structure is rather high, and
the proportion of external research funding in relation to the funding for
basic education is modest.
7.2 Research infrastructure
The small size of the department prevents the formation of research
groups. Each professor tries to cover a few fields. Overall, the department
tries to cover a rather large field in statistics, related e.g. both to biostatistics,
medical diagnostics, economic history, political sciences, economics,
and stochastic finance. Besides (or related to) its small size, the department
is burdened by a heavy teaching load, and seems to get much less financing
per student than other departments in Sweden get (others get 50% to 80%
more). The department also has problems in providing external funding
for Ph.D. students due to the abstract nature of the subject.
7.3 Research
Quality: The research is mainly published in good but not in top field
journals, mostly within other fields than mainstream statistics (only 6 of
36 publications in the publication list are mainly in “statistical” journals).
This is of course in line with the nature of the subject, statistics being an
important supporting science for a variety of fields, and it is also a sign of
good cross-disciplinary contacts. However, good ability to reach good statistical
journals would also be expected from a very strong research unit
in statistics. The unit has had some earlier very good success (e.g. Annals
of Probability earlier, and a paper in the top-journal JASA in 2001).
Productivity: Taking its small size into consideration, the unit has been
quite productive, with the highest number of refereed journal articles
per academic staff member among the units evaluated by this panel (15
refereed journal articles per staff member during 5 years i.e. on average
3 per academic staff and year). Most of the unit’s research is published in
refereed journals. The publication activity seems to be well distributed
among the staff members, and the time trend is stable.
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Relevance: The research seems to be well linked to relevant problems
in other fields, and often dealing with subjects on the research front.
However, the contributions in these other fields such as in economics and
finance have not typically reached top journals, and the impression is that
the unit may split its limited resources too much by trying to cover so
many fields, at the cost of quality and relevance.
Vitality and organizational capacity: The internal vitally seems seasonably
good, as evidenced by research on new applied fields being started,
and a new Master’s program in 2007. The scattered research activity of
the unit (efforts to try to cover a perhaps too large applied field) is a sign
of a potential need for improvement in the organizational capacity.
7.4 Collaboration
The unit seems to have very good research collaboration within Lund
University, witnessed by the many joint publications with researchers
from other departments. Most papers are written jointly with other
researchers. It also has decent national as well as international research
contacts. However, the statistics on active engagement in the scientific
society by other means than conference presentations are rather modest
(e.g. no incoming nor outgoing longer research visits).
7.5 Research activity and teaching
Promising links between teaching and research. See the future plans.
7.6 Future plans
The future plans include the new Master’s program (from 2007) and the
co-operation connected to it, with other departments within and outside
LUSUM. The future plans also include research on some new projects /
areas, which are promising and within the capacities of the unit.
7.7 Future potential and possibilities
The unit is active but small. It has a good track record (some excellent
past publications), but operates on a large field. The unit’s age structure
is also challenging. For a Statistics department within a university, the
unit seems to be clearly under-dimensioned. The unit should either focus
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its scarce resources better, or (preferably) be able to develop itself better
(with more resources), to even better serve the different departments at
LUSEM.
7.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
Women are underrepresented, but not differently for this field elsewhere
(a mathematical subject).
7.9 Overall assessment
Research
Very good /Good
Collaboration Good
Research/teaching Good
Future plans Good
Overall assessment Good
This is a good research unit in international standards, and has good
potential for further improvement.
8. Department of Informatics
8.1 Unit description
This is a reasonably small unit in terms of its academic staff (total staff
number is however large). The unit is also involved in teaching. The age
structure of the academic staff is quite high (with a mean age of 60 for
4 professors). The external research funding is very low (lowest fraction
among all units for this panel). The Ph.D. production is decent for a small
unit (5 in 5 years).
8.2 Research infrastructure
Research at the department is hampered by too few researchers, too little
time (a heavy focus on teaching), but also by the fact that many staff
members are not interested in or capable of research. Many active researchers
have left the unit, and recruitment activities are lacking. Given
the high age structure, this unit is really in the need of strong actions to
correct the situation.
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8.3 Research
Quality: The few more recent journal publications seem to be in good
field journals. The department mentions having published in good impact
journals, such as Decision Sciences in 1999. A few conference papers have
also more recently obtained best paper awards or nominations for awards
(in 2007).
Productivity: The publication activity is very low in terms of publications
in refereed scientific journals. The numbers are somewhat better when
other types of publications are included. “Book chapters” are the most
common form of publication. Of the 20 publications in the list, 14 are
dissertations, 4 conference papers, and only 2 refereed journal publications.
Relevance: The research output is scarce both concerning journal articles
as well as conference papers. Therefore it is hard to assess its relevance.
Vitality and organizational capacity: The unit points at recruitment
problems (although there has been some outside recruitments during the
last years). The unit does not give a very vital impression.
8.4 Collaboration
There seems to be no collaboration within the department or any form of
multi- or interdisciplinary activities. The unit collaborates with two other
units within the LUSEM, and participates actively in a national research
school. International contacts are decent. Some researchers are active in
international organizations, and there is a reasonable amount of international
collaboration and engagement in society.
8.5 Research activity and teaching
The department reports that there is no research impact on teaching;
there is some research based on educational material.
8.6 Future plans
There are some potentially fruitful development plans. However, the
challenge is to overcome the lacking research climate and lacking recruitment
of researchers. Also some departmental borders seem to hamper
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the plans. The Ph.D. production seems to be in better shape, and there is
good future potential through new research programs (at the Institute of
Economic Research).
8.7 Future potential and possibilities
The unit’s high age structure for the staff offers a potential to renew the
unit within a near future. The active Ph.D. program also offers some
promise in terms of future recruitment. The average age by which the
Ph.D:s take their degree has promisingly gone down. Since the unit’s
main problem seems to be an insufficient amount of active researchers,
and not the quality of the research itself, there is good potential for higher
future research output given the research climate can be amended.
8.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
There are fewer females as is typical within this field.
8.9 Overall assessment
Research
Insufficient
Collaboration Worth developing
Research/teaching Poor
Future plans
Good
Overall assessment Insufficient
The level of research activity in this unit is very low. Although some
good papers have been produced, and awards obtained, the recruitment
processes and research activity in this unit need to be activated. This is an
important subject for a business school and definitely needs to be developed
further.
9. Research Policy Institute (RPI)
9.1 Unit Description
Established in 1966, the RPI was among the first institutes established in
Europe to carry out empirical studies of (contemporary) science, technology
and innovation (“research on research” or, hereafter, STI). The
field then emerging brought together perspectives and approaches from
sociology of science, economics of innovation, political science and (to
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some degree) the history and philosophy of science and technology. Many
of the early practitioners had backgrounds in the natural sciences. So also
at RPI. Today, also the RPI staff have diverse disciplinary backgrounds.
The Institute later became one of the founding partners in CIRCLE, with
which it participates in a European MA in STI. Other teaching is limited.
A PhD program, with all students externally funded, was established
in 2007, and 8 PhD candidates are registered in 2007. Though of modest
size, the academic staff (in full time equivalents) of RPI grew from 4 in
2003 to 9 in 2007 (14 staff members with PhD degrees). In the same
period its research revenue also almost doubled, wholly thanks to external
funding.
9.2 Research infrastructure
As from September 2007, RPI is located in a building shared with
CIRCLE, of which a number of staff are also members. Though this
change may well have led to improved facilities, the consequences for
the functioning of RPI as a whole, and of individual staff-members, are
difficult to establish on the basis of available data.
9.3 Research
Quality. A large share (43%) of RPI’s publications is represented by
book chapters. Of the 30 articles for which information is provided, 7
appeared in SCI-listed journals 14 , of which only 3–4 in leading journals.
The modest score may reflect a growing emphasis on externally-funded
contract research that does not always lend itself to publications of high
quality. Moreover, researchers employed with external contract funding
often lack time for producing scholarly publications.
Productivity. Research productivity is modest. The total number of
publications listed is 30, from 2005, although no dates are given for
14. Whilst the impact factors of the journals in which staff publish provide a reasonable indicator
of research quality, some caution needs to be exercised in this regard. Publications
in this field appear in a wide range of journals, differing in their coverage. Even leading
journals in which STI publications appear differ considerably in terms of their impact
factors. Good journals that largely publish historical research on science and technology
have impact factors only between 0.2 and 0.6, whilst the few journals with impact factors
between 1.3 and 1.5 largely publish quantitative and/or policy-oriented studies.
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many of these. Relating the total number of articles given in form 1.3
to the number of academic staff reported in form 1.1 yields 1.5 publications
(including unpublished reports and book-chapters in Swedish)
per staff-member in 2003 (2.5 per full time equivalent) and 1.5 (1.9 per
f.t.e.) in 2007. Whilst the recent expansion of the Unit should be seen
as a mitigating factor, and whilst some publications may be listed under
CIRCLE, this is a modest score. Output data is however of poor quality:
surprising given the field in which RPI works.
Relevance. The self-evaluation notes RPI’s continuing engagement, via
consultancies etc, with national and regional organizations. The social
relevance of its work is demonstrated by these links, as well as by publications
aimed at non-specialist audiences. The Unit distinguishes three themes
as constituting the core of its work (research policy; studies of risks
and social intelligence; and science and innovation for development).
Each of these themes is certainly significant both for society and for the
field of STI. However, judged on the basis of publications, it appears that
the Unit’s contribution to knowledge in these areas has been modest.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. After a period of relative quiescence,
the Unit appears to have been revitalized in the last year or two.
It has succeeded in expanding the number of academic staff; in establishing
a PhD program and recruiting a significant number of (externallyfunded)
PhD students; and in doubling its research income in the last
few years. Of 5 new academic staff recruited, 2 have come from outside
Lund. On this indicator, the Unit thus scores highly.
9.4 Collaboration
A difficulty in evaluating RPI under this heading is its participation
in CIRCLE. This clearly provides an opportunity for extending both
in-house collaboration and for extending the network through which
international collaborations can be established. The newness of this link
(September 2007) means that this change in the Unit’s environment is
not reflected in publications and cannot really be assessed. Data provided
in forms 3.1 and 3.2 suggest that a number of the Institute’s staff are
individually well established in their international field, and that many
collaborations (“with joint publications”) exist. It was difficult to confirm
this from the publication list. The Unit is said to be actively involved in a
number of global research networks, but too little information is provided
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for the significance or operation of these to be assessed. International
exchanges (3.2) were few in number, but given the Unit’s relatively recent
growth (and the newness of its PhD program) this is perhaps unsurprising.
9.5 Research activity and teaching
Undergraduate teaching accounts for one tenth of RPI’s activities and
income and serves as an important channel for research dissemination.
9.6 Future plans
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
9.7 Future potential and possibilities
The Unit defines its sphere of interest very broadly. The intention is to
continue to focus on the three themes around which work to date is
structured, but “to promote greater integration of its research in these
three areas”. Three topics are proposed, said to permit this to be achieved:
globalization and knowledge, environmental and climate policies, and
bio-politics and health care. All of these are important, and each may
well cross the older thematic lines. But how these plans are to be realized
is unclear, and the desirability of so broad a programme, given the Unit’s
size, must be questioned. Clearer strategic choices need to be made,
bearing RPI’s size and its proximity to CIRCLE in mind. These could involve
a clearer disciplinary focus (eg historical and/or sociological studies
of STI), or a more limited choice of thematic areas (clearly distinguished
from those of CIRCLE), or an enhanced responsibility for postgraduate
teaching across the field of STI.
9.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The panel has not given any specific comments. (Information added by the
RQ08 Project Office.)
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9.9 Overall assessment
Research
Good / Insufficient
Collaboration Good
Research/teaching Good
Future plans Poor
Overall assessment Good
This small Unit has performed modestly over the period of the assessment,
and seems to have difficulty in making the necessary strategic
choices. Its recent growth speaks in its favour, but its relationship with
the much larger CIRCLE (in which some staff participate) can be seen as
providing both opportunities and threats.
10. The Centre for East
and South-East Asian Studies
10.1 Unit Description
The Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies was established in
1996, to stimulate multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and
education, about the region particularly in the social sciences, economics
and the humanities. Over the last five years the Centre has almost
doubled in personnel size and budget. Personnel working in the Centre
are normally affiliated to traditional departments so that it is difficult to
give reliable and meaningful data on personnel structure and financing.
Nonetheless four full time equivalent (fte) academic staff and nine other
fte:s are recorded. The Centre is evaluated in both Panels 6 and 7.
Research at the Centre is organized in four research clusters (Asian
Capitalism; Gender Studies; Law, Justice and Human Rights; and Religion
and Society). The Centre teaches a research masters program and
regularly provides two-year post-doctoral fellowships to younger scholars
from around the world. There are currently six other externally funded
scholars in the Centre.
10.2 Research infrastructure
The Centre’s Asia Library, established in 1999 is the foremost library of
its kind in Scandinavia.
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10.3 Research
Quality. 68 publications, including 28 ‘strict scientific publications’,
are recorded in form 1. The publications list records 140, but they date
back to 1987 and include duplications. Many if not most of the publications
are not properly referenced, for instance includes no date at all,
no journal title for articles, or no title of book or publisher for book
chapter. The following is an illustration of a journal reference in the
list ‘Journal article, Quick Search this Journal, 2006, 13, 3, 329 – 348’.
Hence appraising the research output is problematic. However, we do
recognize three journals within the time frame of the present exercise;
Urban Studies, Health Research Policy and Systems and Modern Asian
Studies.
Productivity. The Director of the Centre is clearly very productive.
Relevance. –
Vitality and Organizational Capacity. In 2004, the Centre began publishing
a series entitled Working Papers in Contemporary Asian Studies.
The Centre apparently scores highly on external recruitments, with 13
appointments holding a doctorate from another university compared
with 3 internally recruited, but it is unclear how this is compatible with
the number of affiliates of the Centre.
The only research theme that obviously fits in the School of Economics
and Management is Asian capitalism. The other three themes are more
appropriate to Humanities and other Social Sciences and perhaps Law.
10.4 Collaboration
The Centre works with colleagues in other departments, who teach and
act as tutors on the program, and also participate in collaborative research
projects and joint publications. The Centre has been instrumental in the
creation of two new European initiatives in the field of East Asian Studies,
as a founding member of EastAsiaNet and as a prime mover behind the
European Chinese Law Studies Association (ECLS). The Centre will be
the host to the 17th Conference of the European Association of Chinese
Studies in August 2008. The activities under this heading seem excellent.
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10.5 Research activity and teaching
The unit’s activities include the running of a 2-year interdisciplinary
master’s programme, from which many students continue for Ph.D.
studies in European universities. Publications produced by researchers at
the unit are used as course literature. The connection between research
and teaching seems to be good.
10.6 Future Plans
Working together with departments at Lund University, the Centre
intends to develop jointly tutored and taught Ph.D. programs. The
dynamic growth of East and South-East Asia, and particularly China
offer enormous possibilities for research.
10.7 Future potential and possibilities
The Centre hopes to develop into the leading interdisciplinary centre for
research in the field in Scandinavia.
10.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
10.9 Overall assessment
Research
Collaboration Excellent
Research/teaching Good
Future plans
Overall assessment
Evaluation of multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research is always
challenging compared to research in a single subject, but it is made
much more problematic when inadequate and insufficient information is
supplied. The Centre appears to undertake substantial research though
it is hard to comment on the quality. The international and national
collaboration and entrepreneurship of the Centre is easier to assess and is
excellent.
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Panel 8 – medicine | clinical
PANEL 8 – MEDICINE | CLINICAL
CONTENTS
1. General Topics............................................................................................220
2. Department of Clinical Medicine, Lund Campus......................................... 223
3. Department of Clinical Medicine, Malmö Campus...................................... 244
1. General topics
1.2 Recruitment strategies
During the site visit several important issues were brought up concerning
recruitment strategies. For investigators at the junior PI level (around age
35–40), a general impression was an uncertainty about future Faculty
positions. The reduced salary for medical investigators (like postdocs)
compared to similar earnings for a clinical position was mentioned by the
young investigators as a key problem, reflected by the fact the majority of
young PI to be scientists, not MDs. While the Faculty currently advertise
44 positions (13 professors, 20 lecturers, 2 assistant lecturers, 4 research
assistants, 1 researcher and 4 postdocs), the clear impression from the
meeting with young investigators was a general uncertainness concerning
permanent Faculty positions in the future.
At the senior level, several of the professors in clinical medicine are in
their middle sixties, thus to retire within a time frame over the next 5
years. Here, it was revealed (and confirmed by the vice Dean) that there
is a plan to reduce costs by leaving approximately 2/3 of these positions
unfilled following retirement of the current employee. In certain areas
(like gastroenterological medicine), there is currently one professorship
only; this could mean the Faculty may be left without any professorship
in this important clinical area.
A subject of discussion was the issue that persons employed as Senior
Lecturers, upon reaching qualification level, could apply for an upgrade
to full professorial position; it was questioned whether this was an optimal
way of recruiting new professors. This however is part of the general
national system for promotion within the University system in general,
and not conditioned to local practise.
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It was not fully clear to the panels how the Faculty plans to secure senior
Faculty members within strategic important areas. For the moment, this
is reflected by an example of imbalanced leadership: there are several professors
and senior investigators involved in diabetes and diabetic research
within the 2 Departments of Clinical Medicine in Lund and Malmö
(a very strong research area within the Faculty; see details); while at the
same time only one professor covering the whole field of gastroenterology.
While this subject may be well covered by consultants also involved in
research within this area at the clinical departmental level, this does not
fully compensate for this vulnerability.
The Faculty may need to develop a general strategy if they plan headhunting
people of outstanding qualifications from the outside. While
personal conditions will be subject to negotiations, the fact a “supporting
package” (regarding technical assistance and so on) may account for
something around 500.000 SEK a year does not make the Faculty
compatible at an international level.
All in all, the belief of this panel is the Faculty may benefit from making
a fundamental analysis with respect to securing key academic positions
with qualified persons, as well as optimal recruitment among junior
investigators. At this stage, the fear of the panel is the medical faculty
may find themselves non-competitive at an international level in this area
over the years to come unless there is a clear strategic plan for recruiting,
and a commitment to provide the necessary resources (space, funding,
support personnel) at a competitive level.
1.2 Locations
The fact that the Faculty practice at 2 major Hospitals located 20 km
apart poses certain significant problems to the scientific activity (see
in particular comments with respect to dept of Pathology, Lund, and
ophthalmology). We understand this is mainly decided based on County
Health Decisions (clinical management); yet, it represents a challenge
to the Faculty in every respect to look for allocation / relocation opportunities
with respect to research activity based on potentials to improve
research standards through synergisms and tend to avoid “political”
solutions to such problems that, in the opinion of the panel members,
rarely become successful. We recommend that the Faculty consider a
stronger integration with respect to research activities between the Lund
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and Malmö units. This relates in particulars to areas where research
within the same fields are ongoing in both places (like diabetes), but
probably even more to areas where collaboration exist or may be developed
between specialities targeting joint problems from different angles.
An example is pathology, where most research into cancer pathology is
allocated to the Malmö unit, contrasting the fact that oncology research
in general (and the oncology clinic) is located in Lund.
1.3 PhD training programs
The PhD program differs somewhat from contemporary standards in
most countries being stipulated to 4, not 3, years of duration. Among
young P1s interviewed, some expressed a concern considering the financial
issue, as many grants would cover 3 years of the period, while they
had to apply specifically for the 4 th year.
1.4 Overall conclusions
The panel finds the research activity of the Medical Faculty overall to
be very good, with some groups qualifying for the terms “excellent” or
“outstanding”. For some of the best groups, the research quality is at a
top international level. Considering major threats to successful future
development, the panel would like to point out the following issues:
• Developing a clear Research Strategic Plan for recruitments and
resource investment, which recognizes:
– a high number of leading principal investigators expected to retire
over the next years
– a need to look for better integration of scientific activities between
the two campuses
– critical assessment whether each small academic unit should be
preserved at its current status
• Considering a “Faculty Development” program aiming at securing
leading young investigators on temporary positions, who can then
apply for permanent positions in due time. This could reduce the
uncertainty now felt by many young P1s on temporary positions with
respect to the future.
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2. Department of Clinical Medicine, LUND CAMPUS
2.1 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
The Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care consist of 1
professor, 1 lecturer and 1 researcher. The total research money available
for 2007 was SEK 680.452. From 2003 to 2007 the group of Mikael
Bodelsson reported 7, the group of Per-Olov Grände 22 publications
mainly in clinical journals.
Overall rating: Good
2.2 Department of Cardiology
Overall assessment: There appear to be ~ 57 professorial level faculties in
the Lund Clinical Sciences Department; Cardiology accounts for only 1
full Professor and 6 Asst professors (7/57 or ~12%). The unit appears to
be a “complete” cardiology division from a clinical perspective, possibly
the only unit at this level in Sweden. Based on their publications, the two
most prominent research programs are innovations in ECG utilization,
and cell biology and cell signalling in cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle
cells, and platelets.
Research infrastructure: They list the LUNDHEARTGENE bio bank
as an important resource, but it is difficult identifying publications
coming from this resource; possibly the paper by Amisten et al. is in this
group. Several members of the faculty seem facile with animal models of
different aspects of CVD, leading to publications.
Research Achievements Reported: Their research may be graded as “very
good”, with the possible exception of the electrophysiology/device area
which may be “excellent”. A concern is the lack of top-tier publishing in
the 2003–2007 time periods.
Quality: They list several areas of national and international leadership,
but international leadership is not consistent with the reported publications
in any of these areas, again with the possible exception of their
work in hypothermia and experimental and clinical electrophysiology;
while this is not our field of expertise, their numerous publications in this
area might place them in a leadership position internationally. National
leadership in Sweden is difficult to judge.
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Productivity: The productivity for 5–7 faculty in cardiology over
2003–2007 seemed modest; in the reported manuscripts there were three
from ATVB (Impact Factor (IF) = 6.9), one from Blood (10.4), two from
Circulation Research (9.9), one in the European Heart Journal (7.3), and
a moderate number in journals having to do with electrophysiology and
cardiac pacing. While some of these are excellent specialty journals, there
were no publications listed from top tier journals (Science, Nature, Cell,
NEJM, etc).
Relevance: The publications could be classified as “solid” in their fields,
with the possible exception of the electrophysiology and device implantation
work. Their Lancet paper from 2001 appears to be a “classic” in this
field (Amer-Wahlin et al). Extramural funding is modest at best: a total of
~ 2.2M SEK in 2007 (~$0.5M), with most of that from “Private” sources,
which we suspect, means non-competitive.
Vitality (flexibility, control, leadership): This may be hard to judge from
the information presented. It is reasonable to assume there is good leadership
in the strongest area of experimental and clinical electrophysiology;
little evidence for strong organization and leadership in the other areas.
Collaboration: No evidence of collaboration outside what is ordinarily
done with colleagues at one’s own institution was revealed. They mention
graduating 9 students over the last 3 years, which seems excellent for a
faculty of this size, but the topics are not presented.
Research activity and teaching: We have little information to judge;
there are 14 graduate students in the unit which seems laudable given the
total of 7 faculties.
Evaluation of future plans: They list three major initiatives: continue
development of a program in cardiac stem cells and become a Center
in the world for cellular therapeutics in CVD; continue to work on
hypothermia, cardio protection, and percutaneous devices; and, make
use of the LUNDHEARTGENE resource. It is difficult to judge whether
they are investing heavily enough in the first to successfully compete in
this active area; the impression is they are not, but that may be wrong.
The second seems a strength, and continued investment might indeed
be worthwhile. The third is achievable, but the complete lack of epidemiological,
genomic, or proteomic publications suggest a considerable
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investment would be needed. Based on the little information we had, we
would grade their plans as “good”.
Future potentials and possibilities: Unless there is strong investment, it
may be difficult to develop the stem cell area to international prominence.
We would suggest that targeted investment in faculty and collaborations
would make the utilization of the bio bank a successful venture.
Gender and equal opportunity: While the percentage of doctoral
students associated with the medical faculty of Lund is excellent (>50%),
women comprise only 17% of the Professors and 29% of the academic
staff suggesting there is work to be done. We do not know the numbers
specific to Cardiology.
2.3 Respiratory Medicine and Allergology
Unfortunately, no description of research lines has been provided.
The research staff consists of 4 active researchers. The head of the
department is 59 years old. External funding is mainly from private
money; somewhat remarkable for respiratory medicine and allergology.
Although there are 13 PhD students, the number of graduates of the
last 3 years was zero. When looking at the output of the department,
the list of publications of Egesten is limited, especially when looking
at the first and last authorship. For Hallgren only 1 paper has been
given. The group of Lofdahl is mainly doing clinical studies. Although
in the first description of the research we read about in-depth studies,
we cannot find results of the studies in the list of publications. The list
of publications of Bjerner indicates that this researcher is interested in
indicators of inflammation in the lung. Here is a reasonably good list of
publications.
Overall rating: Hard to describe. Probably very good.
2.4 Department of Medicine
Overall assessment: This is a large department containing several
different units. The papers list a total of four professors, two researchers
and one senior lecturer. The professors are all males; the 2 researchers
(and lecturer) are females. The number of PhD students are listed as 18,
number of PhD graduates over the last three years to 6.
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Research activities: The research activities focus on diabetes, type I
and II, with four groups active in the field. Professor Ahrens team has
provided an extensive list of publication, and the principle investigator
himself as an extensive publication record. Overall, he has a high
number of citations. In addition, a second team working on diabetes
is headed by Dr. Mona Landin Ohlson. That team is smaller: For both
teams the quality of the research deserves the merit very good, with some
papers aspiring to excellence. A third team working with diabetes related
problems is headed by Dr. Winzell who, from the papers provided, does
not seem to occupy a faculty position. Dr. Ewa Maria Erfuhrt also heads
a team working in the field of diabetes with a more limited publication
record. All in all, the activities by Dr. Erfuhrt and Winzell could be
rated as good with some quite good quality publications but in general
a limited output. Yet, in case Dr Winzell has no academic position, her
output stands out as more impressive. A team working into gastroenterology
is headed by the Head of the Department (Professor Åke Nilsson),
who has an extensive publication record and is highly cited in the
literature; the research is very good. While the output of the activity from
the other team doing research in the gastrointestinal area, Dr. Ruidong
Duan also has been quite productive over the recent years under the
principle investigator has smaller all over publication record, and may be
rated as “good”. Finally, Dr. Lars Edvinsson is heading a team working
on cerebral circulation issues. This principle investigator has a most
extensive track record with respect to publications as well as citations in
the ISI Web of Science, and the activity could be rated as excellent.
Future: A key problem to this Department is the age of the principle
investigators. As such, three out of four professors are within an age range
of 63–66 years old, with the fourth professor (Ahrén) being 56. Dr.
Edvinsson is at the age of 67. and Drs Landing-Olsson and Erfuhrt are
both well in their 50-ties. Considering the high quality research provided
by each of the groups headed by the Professors, it is mandatory to provide
strategic plans how these activities may be prolonged following their
retirement. We believe with respect to replacement it is highly important
to continue the ongoing activities in the field of diabetes research, but
perhaps a stronger integration between the smaller groups may facilitate
their robustness.
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2.5 Medical Ethics
According to the description the Medical ethics group is planning to do
research in three areas:
1) Bio-ethics. The ethical implications of stem cell research.
2) Ethical problems in relation to nano-medicine.
3) Medical decision making.
These topics are very interesting and certainly relevant. They are in line
with the main topics of research in the Faculty. At the same time, however,
when looking at the publications we cannot identify publications
related to the topics 1 and 2. All publications seem to be related to topic
nr. 3. Therefore these lines of research still have to be developed.
The staff of the department is adequate, with a limited number of PhD
students, which however is in line with the topic of the department.
In this department you will never have a large number of PhD’s. The
funding of the department is limited. This, however, is not unusual for a
department of medical ethics. The number of publications is good. They
are, however, not all in high impact journals.
Overall: the Department of Medical Ethics is productive and is aiming
to explore new lines of research. From these new lines no publications are
available.
Overall rating: Very good.
2.6 Nephrology
This unit has 1 professor and two research fellows. The publication record
of this unit is not impressive, although described as being “the highest
ranking nephrology unit in Sweden”. Article 5 by Anna-Leena Berg
published in Science seem to be an error as the article appears unrelated
to nephrology and there is no author with this first name and just one
male with the surname Berg). None of the principal investigators has an
impressive publication record. There appears to be collaboration with
vasculitis investigators in Sweden and abroad, and with microalbuminuria
investigators at the Cleveland Clinic.
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The unit can be evaluated as insufficient/good at the present time. The
future plans regarding microalbuminuria appear promising.
2.7 Department of Thoracic Surgery
The Department of Thoracic Surgery has 1 professor and acquired SEK
309.799 as total external money. The group of Stig Steen reported 19
publications in various clinical journals from 2003 to 2007, e.g. in Annals
of Thoracic Surgery 2006 and 2007, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
2005, Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2006.
Overall rating: Good with international impact
2.8 Department of Dermatology and Venereology
Overall assessment: The Department contains three professorial positions
(a high number for such an area) of which two are close to retirement.
They report four principle investigators (3 professors and a younger
Researcher). Looking at the list of publication provided, it is separated
into two parts on which the bulk of the research activity is concentrated
on the researcher (Dr. Smitschen). All members of the academic staff are
males.
Research quality: Assessing the size of the unit the total research quality
should be rated as good with most of the publication concentrated on
activities within one team. It is not clear to distinguish the individual
groups otherwise. For the research activity here, it is listed collaboration
on a national- as well as international level. Yet, it seems that intrainstitutional
contribution in particular with respect to collaboration with
Department of Infection Medicine seems crucial.
Evaluation of future plans: They list their main activities to develop
novel peptide based anti-microbials for skin disorders and allergic skin
information heptanes, although detailed outlines are lacking.
Teaching: No particular information is provided.
Future potential and possibilities: The research activity with respect to
antifungal and antimicrobial properties is well on track. Considering the
publication quality, the bulk of the papers are published in average/to low
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impact journals of bite with some papers in very good journals like Journal
of Biological Chemistry and Journal of Clinical Investigation. On these
papers, however, collaboration with Infectious Medicine seems crucial
based on the subject (titles of papers) as well as author contribution.
Future possibilities: Collaboration in particular with Department of
Medicine seems crucial, and has generated the publications of good quality
as listed. It is not clear to the Committee to what degree laboratory activities
is covered also within Department of Dermatology or, or whether they
for this research provide clinical samples and are dependent on laboratories
elsewhere. For replacement of the professors close to retirement, it is crucial
to the University to be aware of the somewhat narrow spectrum considering
the research activity of the Department, bringing in new areas.
2.9 Infection Medicine
According to the description there are three topics within the department:
1) Study the mechanisms of the newly discovered anti-oxidant protein
and radical scavengers.
2) Study the therapeutic potential in auto-immune diseases of 2 bacterial
enzymes with unique specificity for IgG antibodies.
3) Define molecular bacteria host interactions which contribute to severe
inflammation and sepsis.
The department has a good collaboration with groups inside and outside
the Faculty and throughout the world. Details however are not given. The
infrastructure seems well equipped with a P2 laboratory. The research
staff is compared to other departments quite extensive with 17 PhD
students and 9 PhD graduates over the last 3 years. The topics of research
are all interesting, although topic 3 is studied in more institutions across
the world. The funding of the department is very good compared with
other departments in Lund. They seem to have the third-largest external
funding of the faculty. The number of publications for the group in total
is very good, with publications in various good journals. For some of the
investigations, however, the number of publications is rather limited.
The overall rating is excellent, with attention for the output of a few of the
researchers.
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2.10 Department of Orthopaedics
The Department of Orthopaedics consists of 4 professors and 1.5 researchers.
The group of Gunnar Flivik reported 8 publications from 2003 to
2007, the group of Richard Frobell 2 publications, the group of Lars Lidgren
31 publications, the group of Stefan Lohmander 50 publications and
the group of Ewa Roos 43 publications, the group of Karl-Göran Thorngren
57 publications, the group of Hans Magnus Tägil 17 publications,
the group of Jian-Sheng Wang 10 publications and the group of Hans
Wingstrand 8 publications. However, some publications are listed twice
or 3 times, e.g. in Lomander, Ross, Lancet 2007. The department has a
remarkable output of publications, some of high and some of very high
quality, e.g. in Journal of Immunology 2005 (2x) and 2007 (2x), Trends in
Immunology 2007, Lancet 2007 and 2005. The Department acquired a
total of SEK 6.561.664 of external money during the year 2007.
Overall rating: Outstanding
2.11 Rheumatology
According to the description there are three main lines of research:
• Matrix biology.
• Systemic lupus erythematodes.
• Effects and side effects of the use of cytokine inhibitors.
All these topics are very interesting and important. The department has
an extensive network for collaboration including both other departments
within the university and centres all over the world. The number of
publications is very good. External funding is certainly acceptable for
a department like rheumatology. The staff has 4 members of the active
research staff. The professor and head is 50 years old. No data on age of
the other members have been given. The number of PhD students is good
as well as the number of graduates.
Overall rating: Very good
2.12 Child and adolescent psychiatry
No description of the plans for the research of this group is provided.
This group has a rather small staff. The head of the unit is 63 years old
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and has one active researcher in her staff. There are 3 PhD students, and
2 graduated last years. There is almost no funding, and only one publication
in 2007.
Overall opinion: one really has to consider if this group has a future. It is
very small with limited funding and almost no output.
Overall rating: Poor.
2.13 Experimental Brain Research
According to the table presented there is one Professor and 2 researchers,
there are currently 4 PhD students and three in the past three years. All
three of the research active staff appears to be productive with a significant
number of publications to each of their names. They have over 4.5
million kr in external peer review funding and the department although
small appears to be ideally placed within the University for collaboration
for future work.
2.14 Clinical Neurophysiology
The department appears to be headed by one individual who is 67 years
of age and has published 25 papers over the past 5 years, the last in 2007
so is still relatively active. Clearly at the age of 67 successions planning is
an issue. Grant funding is at a significantly lower level then the departments
previously noted at 640, 000 kr. The university needs to take a
decision on what will happen to this department when Professor Rosen
retires and whether it should be continued.
2.15 Logopedics
According to the description this group has three lines of research:
• Developmental language disorders.
• Cogluar implants.
• Voice disorders.
These three groups are lead by three different scientists, of whom one is
60 years old. This is the same age as the head of the unit has. The head of
the unit has not been indicated in any of the research groups.
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The description of the research topics is rather broad and hard to evaluate.
Developmental language disorders are certainly very interesting, but it is
not clear what they are going to study. What the cogluar implants group
is doing other than elsewhere in the world, also is not clear. Description
of the voice disorders group is somewhat more focussed.
The collaboration of the department is mainly within the own university.
The infra structure seems well equipped.
The research staff is certainly not small for this department. When looking
at the external funding, this is limited for a group of this size. Also
limited is the number of PhD graduates over the last 3 years: only 1.
When looking at the number of publications, considering the size of
the research group it is limited. At least for some of the investigators the
number really is limited.
Overall rating: Good.
2.16 Neurosurgery
The Department of Neurosurgery consists of 1 professor and 1 researcher.
From 2004 to 2007 it has produced 4 theses. 5 publications were
listed by the group of Anna Darabi, and 28 by the group of Leif Salford,
three of his citations are published in high quality journals, e.g. in
Cancer, letters 2007, International Journal of Immunology 2007, Blood
2006. The Department acquired external money of SEK 6.627.721 in
2007.
With regard to future plans there appears to be significant research planned
linked with the Rausing Laboratory for translational neuro-oncology
and the spinal cord injury group. We note that Professor Salford as Head
of Unit is 66 years of age so clearly succession planning will be an issue
here. The collaborations would appear to be excellent.
Overall rating: Excellent
2.17 Neurology
According to the table presented there are 2 professors and 3 lecturers,
there has been one thesis since 2005 and the external funding amounts to
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in excess of 12 million kronor. There appears to be significant collaboration
between the clinical/research group and sections of neuro-imaging
and neurosurgery, genetics and basic neuroscience as well as many
international collaborations in these areas.
We note that the head of unit is 61 years of age, however the other members
of the academic staff at Professorial status range between 46 and 57
years of age so succession planning should not be a problem.
The department appears to be active with a good level of funding and collaboration.
All of the listed members of staff appear to be research active
with a significant number of publications over the past years.
2.18 Ophthalmology
There are three Professors, 1 lecturer and 2.5 researchers active in
this unit which appears to have an external funding of over 7 million
kronor.
The Ophthamology unit in Lund thus appears to be larger than the
Malmö unit and in consequence have a more varied academic output.
(We do note that the papers attributed to Malin Malmsjo appear not to
be related to ophthalmology but appear in journals like Cardiovascular,
pharmacology and the annals of thoracic surgery – we wonder if this is
a misattribution). The unit appears to be research active, well funded
and have significant future plans, these relate to studying neuroprotection
and retinal disorders, with significant collaborations with bio bank
and ERN-RET for retinal degeneration. The unit appears to be viable,
well supported and academically active.
2.19 Geriatric Psychiatry
This unit has one professor and 1 PhD student and 1 PhD student
graduated during the last 3 years. Research is focused around dementia.
We find 1 last author publication since year 2003 by the head of the
unit, although there are a total of 44 articles. This is based on our own
PubMed search as we could not identify the list of publications in the
material. Overall assessment of the research activity is insufficient.
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2.20 Psychiatry
The department has 2 professors aged 61 and 63 and 2 other researchers.
It currently appears to have ten PhD students and has had 5 undergraduates
over the past three years. There is 2.6million kroner in external funding
currently available to them and all of the research active members of
the department in both psychiatry and molecular psychiatry appear to be
active. The age of senior academic staff means that succession planning is
an issue but the department appears to be viable in the longer term.
2.21 Rehabilitation Medicine
Overall assessment: The unit was established in 2006 and therefore an
extensive evaluation of its achievements in the past is impossible. The
unit is part of the Centre of Aging and Supportive Environments, one of
the core activities of the Department of Clinical Sciences in Lund. The
unit can be evaluated as good to very good. It has definitely international
potential; however, the number of scientists involved as well as Ph.D.-
students should be increased.
Research infrastructure: The unit is linked to the large clinical Department
of Rehabilitation, one of the largest of its kind in Scandinavia
with over 250 employees. The unit has a well-equipped neuromuscular
research laboratory, a pain-measurement laboratory and access to several
major rehabilitation outcome databases.
Research quality: There is no information available on the research output
of the unit. Similarly there is no information on the grants acquired
within the unit. PhD-dissertations up to now have been completed at
other departments within Lund University or outside.
Collaboration: The unit is well imbedded within the Centre for Aging
and Supportive Environments of Lund University and has collaborations
with a large number of departments. It has however to be mentioned
that within the research areas of the unit a collaboration with Medical
Radiation Physics and its expertise on functional imaging would be
appropriate. There are also collaborations with foreign universities.
Research activity and teaching: The three topics on which the unit
focuses: neuro-rehabilitation, long-term pain and neuromuscular
function are obvious but promising areas of rehabilitation medicine. A
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stronger collaboration with neuro-physiology and imaging would be
appropriate.
Evaluation of future plans: Are definitely promising and seem to be at
least very good. The areas of research are well embedded within Lund
University’s major research areas and extensive collaboration could
guarantee their fulfilment.
Future potentials and possibilities: Lund University’s imaging department
has a strong emphasis on neuro-imaging, particularly on functional
MRI. A more extended collaboration with Rehabilitation Medicine
should be envisaged.
Gender and equal opportunity: The group is small and consists of one head
of unit at a professor level and one PhD graduate over the last three years.
2.22 Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
This department has two professors, no lecturers and no researchers. 4
theses are noted but no identified funding in the table dated 11th June
2008. 21 papers published since 2003, mainly in journals of head and
neck surgery.
We note in the file where otorhinolaryngology is joined with head and
neck surgery there are three professors listed, age range 53 to 62 and that
the number of PhD students has been noted as 10.
We were not able to identify future plans for this department and in the
absence of research funding was not able to make a clear statement on the
long term viability of this department within the university.
2.23 Department of Cancer Epidemiology
This unit contains two senior positions, one professor and one senior
lecturer. The age of the two persons occupying the positions are 66 and
64 years respectively. No information regarding number of PhD students
and PhD graduates have been provided.
Publication records: On the publication records it appears that the two
senior persons are acting as statistical consultants to clinical studies, in as
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much as they act as co-authors in general with respect to therapy-related
trials. Considering the publication list of the professor (Alvegård), this
is directly related to his names on the papers. For the publication list
provided by principle investigator senior lecturer Andersson, his name
is lacking from many of the publications, suggesting junior assistants
acting in the team may be co-authors. Yet, no information on this issue is
provided. As such, it is difficult to provide direct rating of the quality of
the research work in as much as they seem to act more as consultants to
the work of others. Importantly, however, the unit does not stand out as
an independent epidemiological unit with an independent profile; thus,
the term “insufficient” may apply.
Future potential and possibilities: With the two team-leaders approaching
retirement age, it is an open question whether the Unit
of Cancer Epidemiology should stay as a separate unit or rather; the
positions should be allocated into a larger unit handling epidemiology or
statistical consultancy. As the unit is functioning now, it seems to act as
a statistical consultant unit to clinicians. They list a number of collaborations
to Scandinavian and Swedish Research Organisations, and there is
no reason to believe this has not worked to the satisfaction of both parts.
Yet, the activity does not qualify for a separate unit term “cancer epidemiology”,
in as much as they are not dealing with epidemiology as an issue
on its own. We believe a re-structuring of the unit with translocation of
positions may be a solution for the next upcoming years.
2.24 Electron Microscopy
Overall assessment: The Electron Microscopy unit was formed more
than 20 years ago as a service facility for research performed in collaboration
with other groups. It is not understandable why a new unit
of research for electron microscopy should be positioned within the
Department of Clinical Sciences and not within Experimental Medicine.
A restructuring should be considered after the retirement of the Head of
the Unit.
At the present stage research of this unit can only be evaluated as being
poor or insufficient.
Research infrastructure: The unit is equipped with state-of-the-art
electron microscopy facilities and is processing a large variety of samples.
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Research quality: There is no information available on the research
output. There have been only 4 publications over the last 8 years (Pub-
Med) in which the head of the unit has been involved. Funding is only
provided by the Medical faculty and other state financing and to a very
small amount from private funding.
Collaboration: There is no overview on the structural collaborations of
the unit.
Research activities and teaching: There is no information available on
the present or future research lines of the unit.
Future potentials and possibilities: Due to the age of the single researcher
within the group (Head of the Unit is aged 66) no substantial future
potentials can be seen.
2.25 Imaging Units at the Department of Clinical Sciences
There are four research units involved mainly or at least partially in biomedical
imaging. The unit of Clinical Physiology with a strong cardiac
MR imaging group, Diagnostic Radiology performing mainly brain MR
research, Medical Radiation Physics involved also in brain MR research,
but additionally dealing with nuclear medicine methodology and radiation
related topics, and finally Biomedical Engineering particularly focussing on
medical ultrasound and high intensity focused ultrasound therapy. Since
some of the researchers involved in the these four units collaborate strongly
with each other, some of the imaging infrastructure is shared between the
units and research in- and output is produced mainly in collaboration a
separate evaluation of these four units is very difficult. Therefore we will try
to give an overall view of the imaging units at the Department of Clinical
Sciences in Lund with some specific remarks on the different units.
Overall assessment: Structuring of imaging research around the four
units is less than obvious. It is understandable that the research units
were established somewhat in parallel with the clinical departments, like
Diagnostic Radiology and Clinical Physiology. However, due to the overlap
in expertise, research areas, infrastructure and even people a complete
restructuring of biomedical imaging should be considered. Research of
Diagnostic Radiology could definitely be improved and enhanced through
a stronger input from Medical Radiation Physics or Biomedical Engine-
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ering. In the same way Clinical Physiology could strongly profit from the
know-how and infrastructure of Medical Radiation Physics. Overall, the
unit of Medical Radiation Physics could be rated as excellent to outstanding,
while both Clinical Physiology and Biomedical Engineering have a very
good to excellent research performance. However, Diagnostic Radiology can
be only rated as insufficient and good only in the area of neuroradiology.
Research infrastructure: Overall the available infrastructure for biomedical
imaging seems to be excellent. All state-of-the-art and emerging
technologies are available within the different units including high
resolution animal imaging including nuclear medicine technology and
MR human SPECT and PET, ultrasound and high field MR, also with
the perspective of installing a whole body 7T MR system in the future.
However it remains unclear how access and availability is managed for
the different units. A much stronger integration and overall sharing of
facilities would be recommended.
Research quality: The quality of the in- and output for the different units
is different. Medical Physics seems to have an outstanding impact and
Biomedical Engineering as well as Clinical Physiology has a very good to
excellent research output. The research output of Diagnostic Radiology is
comparably rather insufficient with the exception of neuroradiology.
Collaboration: There is a wide range of collaboration due to the fact that
Biomedical Imaging is by virtue of its service character involved in collaborative
research with other departments. Also relations with the Clinical
Department in Malmö as well as within Sweden and the region seem to
be well developed. There is a wide range of research activities within the
different units focussing on cardio-vascular-, neuro-, molecular imaging,
basic science and technology development as well as many other smaller
areas. An improved structure with reduction of the large number of
different research projects and stronger collaboration between the groups
would be recommended.
Evaluation of future plans: Particularly within Medical Radiation Physics
and Biomedical Engineering the future plans are well developed and
promising. Similar information is not available on Diagnostic Radiology.
Future potentials and possibilities: An improved structure of biomedical
imaging with stronger collaboration between the different groups of
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the four units has a potential to make this area in Lund to an excellent
or even outstanding research line. There are a large number of younger
researchers with long-term potential. With exception of Biomedical Engineering
the groups have involved also adequate numbers of PhD students.
2.26 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
The Department contains two professorial positions, one senior lecturer
and a researcher in addition to clinicians and others involved in scientific
research. Except for a female researcher, both professors, the senior
lecturer and the rest of the academic staff are males. The key problem is
the age of the two professors (65 years each), as well as the senior lecturer
(age 58). Thus, major changes will occur over the next few years.
Research quality: They list a total of 6 different groups, were mainly
involved in neonatology research on placenta with respect to humans
as well as animal (sheep model) facilities. They provide a well organized
list of core facilities, including a perinatal sheep model and several other
facilities. There are partly collaboration and overlap between the groups.
In addition, there is research on sonographic investigations. The general
problem is the difficulty in seeing a hypothesis driven research program
with respect to the type of translational research conducted (individual
parameters correlated to outcome and biological studies without
their relation to clinical parameters). They are exploring a number of
individual parameters, also applying novel technologies like arrays, but
it remains far from clear what is the underlying “theories” driving their
research; rather, it seems as they obtain tissue banking and evaluate a
panel of parameters. Considering the individual principle investigators
and looking at the citations with respect to age, a total assessment may
rate between insufficient to good.
Future potential and possibilities: With three of the senior staff aiming
for retirement over the next couple of years, this may implicate significant
structural changes to the unit. A strength is collaboration with other
investigators involved in basic research (translation), however, it does not
seem they generate the full benefit from such programs. The fact that
two of the professorial positions are to be occupied with new persons
over the next few years opens for new possibilities in this area. Clearly,
the possibilities are there (considering facilities and patients) to improve
quality standard of the research, provided the University is able to recruit
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highly qualified people for these positions. Of similar importance, they
will need to provide them with the resources necessary to generate novel
innovative programs. As the program stands, a general continuation of
the ongoing activity is not likely to become successful; there is a need to
generate novel programs within the area. A closer integration with the
unit in Malmö should be considered (see Malmö evaluation).
2.27 Department of Oncology
Overall assessment: According to the information provided Department
of Oncology is the largest research unit within the Institute of Clinical
Science in Lund. It contains two directors, two clinical professors and
three experimental professors. On the detailed list, 6 persons are enlisted
as professors (title missing for Rubin; anticipated to be a Professor as
well); counting up to 7. Out of these, 1 is female, the rest are males. Yet,
from the junior staff, nearly 50% are females. While several professors are
in their 50-ties, the age distribution is not particularly disturbing.
Research quality: The departments provide an extensive research activity
concentrated on issues related to molecular biology. Here, they have some
very strong researchers at a high international level. Their works have
a seminal influence on experimental studies as well as epidemiology, epidemiological
registry on inherited cancer syndromes, and also translational
studies with respect to prognostication in cancers. The molecular biology
and genetic activity in general qualify for the term excellent with certain
activities related to key-investigators like Åke Borg as outstanding. In addition,
there are a number of senior investigators in this area that in general
qualify for the term very good, with a couple of investigators (as professor
Ferno and research fellow Hedenfalk) whose contributions qualify for the
term excellent. The seminal influence on other activities in the Department
is obvious. As such, they provide a high research activity with respect to
prognostic factors (professor M. Nilbert) and an extensive program with
respect to cancer risk factors (professor H. Olsson), the activities leaded by
both qualifying for the term excellent. In contrast, there is limited translational
research with respect to therapy (predictive factors), which may have
been generated through an integrated program between clinical researchers
and the strong research teams with respect to molecular biology. The
only therapy-related part of the program is the activity run by Dr. Tenlow
with respect to radioimmuno-therapy, which merit classification as “very
good”. For the rest of the clinical therapy research activity, for reasons
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mentioned above and also with respect to clinical studies in general, the
term insufficient may apply; definitely, there is a need and opportunity for
significant improvement in this area. While a collaborate in Nordic and
Swedish research groups, with the strong facilities with respect to cancer
molecular biology, clinicians should be expected to take up much more of
a leading role in this area, which they obviously not do.
Evaluation of future plans: They discuss opportunities with respect to
tissue banking, interdisciplinary activities (like cancer stem cell program),
and summarize multiple techniques. Further, they summarize
issues like photodynamic therapy and participation in different Multicentre
Trial Organizations. As treats, they summarize lack of post docs
and researchers. The issue, however, melt on to what was said above, the
imbalance between the strength of the laboratory units compared to the
lack of optimal activity with respect to the Clinical Department. This is
the major treat to successful development, and there is a need to discuss
strategic plans to handle these issues for the future.
Future potential and possibilities: The Department of Oncology has
unique opportunities in case they are able to integrate the above mentioned
issues in a successful way. As for lack of results post docs etc. it seems
to recruitment for the basic research (which otherwise is a key problem
in many universities) is doing well, probably due to the well known
reputation of some of the senior investigators in this field. Clearly, the
Clinical Department needs to take advantage of this collaboration with
research units and develop the program forward.
2.28 Department of Pathology
Overall assessment: There appears to be ~ 57 professorial level faculties
in the Lund Clinical Sciences Department, Pathology accounts for only
a small number. They do list just 2 “research active” faculty, and offer
concern about the future since one of them is retiring soon (department
head). They discuss two major research themes: neuropathology and
imaging of tumours and inflammatory conditions.
Research infrastructure: They list the imaging equipment as a core
facility, and several other departments list the pathology department as
an active collaboration. Thus, it is assumed many investigators in Lund
use the imaging equipment in pathology in their research.
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Research Achievements Reported: Overall research may be graded as
“very good”, but nearly all activity is related to Dr. Englunds research.
Quality: They did not list areas of national and international leadership.
From their publications, most were in the general field of neuropathology,
but none were in top-tier journals.
Productivity: The two active faculty list 33 articles in 2003–2007, 30 of
which were by Dr. Englund. Of these over half were in the general field of
neuropathology, although none were in top-tier journals (NEJM, Nature
Medicine, etc) or the top-tier neuroscience journals (Nature Neurosciences,
Neuron, Brain, Lancet Neurology). They list one paper in Neurology
(IF=5.7) with many journals in quite low IF journals.
Relevance: As a “department”, their publication record may be classified
as “modest”, although clearly Dr. Englund if quite active in the field of
neuropathology. There is very little extramural funding: they list a total
of ~ 0.6M SEK in 2007 (~$0.12M), with most of that from “Private”
sources, raising the issue whether they may be non-competitive in this
respect.
Vitality (flexibility, control, leadership): Seems non-existent, given their
concerns over leadership.
Collaboration: They seem to collaborate, especially in the neurosciences,
but nothing outside of the expected collaborations. Their core facility for
imaging appears to be used by others at their institutions.
Research activity and teaching: Little information for assessment available.
Evaluation of future plans: They list developing a core facility for
advanced morphology as something that “would be of enormous benefit”,
suggesting it’s not really a plan but more of a hope for the future. We do
not see any other plan for the future, and this area is rated as “poor”.
Future potentials and possibilities: The department seems to be in an
“uncertain” mood given the upcoming retirement of the head. In general
there is always great potential for Pathology, given the expertise in disease
processes, imaging, and broad-based knowledge of pathobiology from
the molecular to the gross. However, we do not see much evidence that
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the small research faculty have any influence on decision-making around
resource allocation.
Gender and equal opportunity: While the percentage of doctoral
students associated with the medical faculty of Lund is excellent (>50%),
women comprise only 17% of the Professors and 29% of the academic
staff suggesting there is work to be done. The numbers specific to Pathology
are not known.
2.29 Pediatrics
Unfortunately, no description of the lines of research of pediatrics has
been provided. The research staff of the Department of Pediatrics seems
rather limited, considering the size of the discipline. At the same time
there are a high number of PhD students with also a high number of PhD
graduates. The external funding is reasonable, but not very high.
When looking at the publications there are 5 PI’s listed. 2 of them only
have a very limited bibliography, namely Axelsson, who has only reports
of an ESPGAN committee, and Leven. The list of publications of
Fellman, Karpman and Pesonen are excellent.
Overall rating: not really possible, provisional excellent.
2.30 Department of Urology
The Department of Urology consists of 1 professor. The group of Anders
Mattiasson reported 21 publications, mainly in clinical journals, e.g. in
Urology 2007, Neurourology and Urodynamics 2006 and 2004, American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The group of Björn Wullt reports
17 publications, e.g. in International Journal of Cancer 2007, European
Urology 2006 and 2004, as well as various journals for infectious diseases.
The Department acquired SEK 297.526 of external money.
Overall rating: Good with international impact
2.31 Department of Surgery
In 2007 the Department of Surgery consists of 2 professors and 1
lecturer. The department acquired a total of external money of SEK
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831.115. The group of Roland Andersson reported 46 publications since
2003, mainly in international clinical journals, e.g. in Annals of Surgery
2007, 2006, British Journal of Surgery 2007, 2005, Scandinavian Journal
of Gastroenterology, International Journal of Colorectal Disease as well as
Journal of Proteome Research 2004.
Overall rating: Very good
3. Department of Clinical Medicine,
MALMÖ CAMPUS
3.1 Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
The personnel structure of the Clinical Science in Malmö shows for the
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care 1 lecturer. The group
of Jonas Åkesson reports 31 publications from 2003 to 2007, mainly in
renowned international clinical journals. The group acquired an external
funding of SEK 23.862.
Overall rating: Good with international impact
3.2 Angiology, Cardiology, and Medicine (AC&M)
Overall assessment: There appear to be ~58 professorial level faculty in
the Malmö Clinical Sciences Department; the AC&M unit accounts
for approximately 11 faculty or 19% of this total. The unit is very active
in research, comprising 7 of the ~50 departmental research programs
(~14%). Based on their publications, all of these units do well, with a
couple reaching the outstanding category. Total extramural support in
2007 was ~20M SEK or about 15% of the total departmental extramural
funding. The two most prominent research programs are the Experimental
Cardiovascular Research and Internal Medicine.
Research infrastructure: They list a number of bio banks and epidemiology
projects as important “infrastructure” which is supported by their
publications. In the Internal Medicine program, for example, out of 173
total publication listed from 2003–2007, approximately two-thirds related
to epidemiology and public health. Within this group of publications,
a number related to genetic epidemiology, pointing to the success of their
investment in high through-put genomic technology. The Experimental
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Cardiovascular Research program relies heavily (and productively) on the
animal husbandry infrastructure.
Research Achievements Reported: overall their research may be
graded as “Excellent-Outstanding”, with several top-tier publications in
the 2003–2007 time period (Science, JAMA, Lancet, Nature Genetics,
Nature Clinical Practice), and many influential reviews (e.g., Current
Opinions in Lipidology, etc). In several areas in particular (cancer
epidemiology especially nutrition and cancer; genetic epidemiology; and
inflammation and immunity in atherosclerosis) members of this faculty
have international prominence.
Quality: They list a total of more than 350 publications in the 2003-2007
periods. As noted above, there are several top-tier publications, especially
from the epidemiological efforts. These are cantered in the Internal
Medicine program, which accounted for 173 (~50%) publications. This
program also had many prominent publications in top level specialty
journals such as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (IF=15.1),
Cancer Research (7.6), Stroke (5.4), TAB (6.8), Journal of American College
of Cardiology (9.7), and others. However, all the programs had prominent
publications in specialty journals, adding up to an impressive list.
Productivity: The productivity of this faculty seems excellent. The total
number of manuscripts and the relative prominence of the extramural
funding are outstanding.
Relevance: Many of their publications may be graded as “influential”
and the program leaders especially in the Internal Medicine program and
Experimental Cardiovascular Disease program are active internationally
in giving invited talks, etc. Clearly their work is very relevant to the international
biomedical research community, and they participate frequently
in developing guidelines, editorial comments, etc.
Vitality (flexibility, control, leadership): For the bigger programs in this
department, there is clear evidence of superb leadership.
Collaboration: In particular, their epidemiological work is obviously collaborative
on an international scale. There is also evidence of collaboration in
their more molecular work, such as the immunity and atherosclerosis activities,
mainly based in the Experimental Cardiovascular Research program.
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Research activity and teaching: There is little information presented;
there are 43 doctoral students in the department which seems reasonable
given the size of their faculty.
Evaluation of future plans: They describe several areas for growth that
are based on their current strengths, which seems a logical approach. The
key feature is “public health”, and one strategy is to extend their work
into the community which has become more multi-ethnic than some
of their cohorts reflect. They will attempt to develop structured interventional
programs at the community level in an effort to increase the
“translation” of their work. A proposed Center for Primary Care Research
seems an excellent approach to this issue. Finally they recognize a major
“missing piece” of their translational program, namely clinical research
units in both oncology and cardiovascular disease. These two units will
require significant investment (some of which seems to be in place, but
details were lacking), but would provide critical linkages between more
basic work, and their population-based science. Their plans may be rated
as “excellent”, assuming resources are provided.
Future potentials and possibilities: They outline these well, and they
focus on their current strengths.
Gender and equal opportunity: While the percentage of doctoral students
associated with the medical faculty of Malmö is excellent (>60%),
women comprise only 33% of the academic staff suggesting there is some
room for improvement. We do not know the numbers specific to AC&M.
3.3 Dermatology and Venerology
The unit has one professor. The unit in Malmö has a total funding of
204,000 from the Faculty. The unit focuses purely on education. Therefore
the research activity of this unit can only be evaluated as being
non-existent or poor.
3.4 Endocrinology
Overall assessment: This is a unit which has mainly been established by
two international stars in their fields, professors Leif Groop and Åke Lernmark.
There are several independent investigators, which nevertheless work
together closely. The by far most active is the group headed by Leif Groop.
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The quality and quantity has continuously been increasing and is now at
the absolutely highest international level. The other group leaders (other
than Lernmark and Groop) are still miles behind or have stabilized at a
good but not top level. The unit can be evaluated as outstanding. The unit
has indeed all the potential to solve major questions in the genetic etiology
of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Funding is impressive (21 514 230 is
the largest of any unit of clinical sciences in Malmö), as is international
collaboration and expertise in insulin action and secretion. The publication
record is truly impressive (Science, N Engl J Med, Nature genetics etc).
There is also close national collaboration with the major epidemiological
projects which are ongoing in the Malmö region. Clinical mechanistic
physiological investigation in humans could perhaps be expanded.
3.5 Epidemiology
This unit has two areas of research, one dealing with cardiovascular
epidemiology with two researchers and one with nutrition epidemiology
also with two research positions. The quality of publications is good
European/Scandinavian level. The researchers do not appear to be last
authors but often second authors which are sometimes the preference of
senior authors. Most of the funding of the cardiovascular epidemiology
group is from the faculty (864 008 out of 1 146 434). We cannot find the
budgetary information of the nutrition epidemiology group. Our overall
assessment of this unit is good.
3.6 Family and Community Medicine
According to the description there are four lines of research within this
department.
• Hakansson et al. This group has published a number of papers on a
wide variety of topics. The group does not seem to be much focussed.
The support is very limited.
• Rastam et al: This group consists of only one person and has reasonable
external funding. There are publications on the Skaraborg project.
The question is why this group is not working more closely together
with other groups in Malmö like Groop.
• Merlo et al seem to have good funding while no data on funding
was provided for the group of Ostergren et al. It was not easy for this
reviewer to judge if these two groups published papers.
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Doing research in family and community medicine is usually not that
simple. Overall the group has published quite a number of papers, for
a department like this. In this sense the group seems to be productive.
At the same time the wide variety of topics gives the indication that the
group is not very focussed. Focussing on a smaller number of topics
and collaborating on studies on type 2 diabetes with the other group in
Malmö seems advisable.
Overall rating: Good.
3.7 Hand Surgery
The Department of Hand Surgery has 1 professor and 0.5 researchers.
The research group of Göran Lundborg and Lars Dahlin listed 160
citations in various clinical journals, eg. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
2007, 2006, Radiology 2007 as well as Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2006. The
group acquired an external funding on SEK 3.341.228.
Overall rating: Excellent
3.8 Imaging and Radiation Physics
Overall assessment: Imaging and Radiation Physics concentrates on
methodology and clinical protocol optimization. Additionally there is
an internationally well-known line on development of contrast media. In
collaboration with other clinical departments and research units of the
hospital there is an impressive number of publications in high quality
journals. However, there is no obvious involvement in population based
imaging in collaboration with the strong epidemiology group in Malmö.
The quality can be evaluated as very good to excellent.
Research infrastructure: The unit seems to have access to state-of-the-art
infrastructure. Potential collaboration with Lund and its high field MR
systems, as well as animal imaging facilities is not pursued.
Research quality: The unit relies on mainly faculty budget and some
external funding and it shows an impressive number of excellent publications.
There is however quite a limited number of PhD-students and a
limited focus of research on the main research lines of Malmö hospital.
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Collaboration: There is extensive collaboration within the hospital as well
as with groups outside. A more extensive collaboration with Endocrinology
and Epidemiology should be fostered.
Research activity: A relation between research and teaching is not
described.
Evaluation of future plans: The future plans of the unit are not very well
described and therefore not obvious.
Future potentials and possibilities: There are a number of younger
researchers in the group and the strong scientific output underlines the
potential for the future, however, an increased focus on the main research
lines of Malmö hospital as well as a stronger collaboration with the
Biomedical Imaging units in Lund should be recommended.
3.9 Infectious Disease
According to the description provided there is only one researcher in this
group. The focus is on national and international collaboration in order
to limit the use of antibiotics. The group has rather limited funds. The
papers are indeed reflecting the collaborations. One might wonder if this
group should stay with an own identity, or whether it could combine with
infectious diseases in Lund. The group as it is at the moment according to
the description is very vulnerable.
3.10 Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction
Overall assessment: The department contains one Professor (Lil Valentin,
born 1948), and one adjungated professor (Alexander Giwercman;
born 1955). This position is now formally terminated but is under
consideration for further prolongation. A third group is headed by Senior
Lecturer Martin Stjernqvist (born 1952), currently under consideration
for promotion to a full professor position.
Research activities: The Department lists 3 research groups; Gynecological
and prenatal Ultrasound Diagnostics (Principle Investigator Lil
Valentin), Uro-gynecology (Martin Stjernquist), and Molecular and
Reproductive Research (principle investigator Alexander Giwercman).
Stjernquist is mainly engaged in teaching activities. The group headed
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by Lil Valentine has a good output, albeit in journals with an average to
low impact. The principle investigator and the research in general are not
highly cited, although it’s gradually increasing. The activity of the group
headed by Alexander Giwercman has a high output, and the principle
investigator is highly cited; his most cited works however all were conducted
> 10 years ago. All in all, the research activity of the Department
spans from good (Stjernquist), to very good (Valentine) and excellent
(Giwercman).
Future potential and possibilities: The University contains two Obstetric
/ Gynecological Research Units. The activities in Lund and Malmö may
benefit from a closer integration. In both units, there is ongoing research
with respect to ultrasound activities; also, the Molecular and reproductive
research here may benefit from a closer collaboration with the unit in
Lund. Based on this evaluation, we consider the unit in Lund the most
fragile with respect to ongoing research activity and, in particular, the
fact some of the principle investigators are close to retirement age. Thus,
a closer integration, also with respect to the investments performed in
Lund (sheep facility) may strengthen the ongoing activity in both places.
With respect to Malmö, the fact that the principle investigator in charge
of the most successful program is currently re-applying for continuation
as an adjungated professor, while a Senior Lecturer with a limited
ongoing research program is currently promoted to Professor due to the
general regulations questions whether this is an optimal system for recruitment
in academic units. In the opinion of this panel, further academic
success of the Malmö unit depends on securing Giwercman a permanent
position as Professor.
3.11 Ophtalmology
The ophthamology unit in Malmö seem to be somewhat smaller that
the Lund unit with one professor and and external funding of 2.8
million kr. The unit is headed by Anders Heijl has produced 43 papers,
5 are in the high impact journal IOVS, 8 in the good but slightly lower
impact journals of Ophthalmology, Archives and American Journal of
Ophthalmology, and the remainder are in the Nordic journals Acta. The
unit appears to be functioning well and has an adequate level of external
peer reviewed funding.The unit appears to be viable, well supported and
academically active.
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3.12 Pediatrics
There are three different topics of research within the Department of Pediatrics.
According to the description all groups only have one researcher.
• Ivarsson et al: Study pediatric immunology and auto-immune diseases.
This group has some external funding, clearly from international
collaboration. For pediatric endocrinology the funding is certainly
not very high. The number of papers is limited.
• Pediatric hematology: Ljung et al: This group also has limited financial
support and a limited amount of papers. Also here collaboration
with some other group might be advisable.
• Cellular auto-immunity: Cilio et al: This group studies phenotype
and regulation of auto reactive T-cells in auto-immune diseases. No
information is provided regarding the financial support of this group.
There are some good publications. The number of articles with first or
last authorship seems limited. Also for this group collaboration with
another group seems advisable.
Overall rating of Pediatrics: Good. The group should really consider
very strong interaction with other groups. Merging with pediatrics in
Lund might be advisable. Otherwise collaboration with strong groups in
Malmö is recommended.
3.13 Orthopaedics
The Department of Orthopaedics has 2 professors and 2 lecturers. The
groups of Kristina Åkesson, Karl Obrant and Magnus Karlsson reported
117 publications, the Joint and Soft Tissue Research Unit of Leif Dahlberg
6 publications. The mainly clinical journals include the Journal of Bone
and Joint Surgery, Osteoporosis International and, of high quality, the New
England Journal of Medicine 2003. The group of the Joint and Soft Tissue
Research acquired SEK 660.298 of external money and the group of
Clinical and Molecular Osteoporosis Research of Åkesson SEK 4.254.431.
Overall rating: Excellent
3.14 Psychiatry
Again, it is perhaps unfortunate that different panelists evaluate psychiatry
in Malmö and Lund. In Lund, we have been given one name
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(Ankarsäter H) which we assume should be written Anckarsäter H (d.o.b
1966). This name appears in PubMed in 22 articles which deal with
autism and a variety of other conditions. The quality of research appears
good/very good, but independence cannot be judged based on the
information available.
Our overall assessment of this unit is good.
3.15 Surgery
The Department of Surgery has 3 professors, 1 lecturer and 3 researchers.
The group of Henrik Ekberg reported 18 publications, the groups of
Bengt Jeppsson and Henry Svensson reported 96 publications. Papers
were published e.g. in New England Journal of Medicine 2007, Cancer
Epidemiol Biomarkers Prevention 2007, International Journal of Cancer
2007, Journal of Hepatology 2006. The surgeons received an external
funding of SEK 4.753.062.
Overall rating: Outstanding
3.16 Urology
There exist 2 listings for the Urology. One department consists of 1
professor and 2 researchers, the other one of 1 professor and 1 researcher.
The Division of Urological Cancers, P-A Abrahamsson, Anders Bjartell,
listed 17 publications, e.g. Clinical Cancer Research 2007, Oncogene 2005,
International Journal of Cancer 2005, and acquired SEK 2.879.430 for
Urology research and SEK 1.887.913 for Urological Cancer research as
external money.
Overall rating: Excellent
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PANEL 9 – MEDICINE | EXPERIMENTAL
CONTENTs
Department of Experimental Medical Science
1. Overall assessment......................................................................................253
2. Research infrastructure...............................................................................255
3. Research quality........................................................................................ 256
4. Collaboration.............................................................................................267
5. Research activity and teaching................................................................... 268
6. Evaluation of future plans.......................................................................... 268
7. Future potentials and possibilities................................................................269
8. Gender and equal opportunity issues..........................................................269
1. Overall assessment
The department has about 200 staff members of which about 20 are
researchers in tenured positions, 90 are researchers (including doctoral
students) in temporary positions (time limited grants) and 81 are other
personnel (mainly technical support personnel) many of which are also
on temporary grants.
The research quality is judged as being on average very good with great
variability. Large parts of the big neurophysiological division are of
outstanding quality while other groups such as the divisions of immunology,
vascular and airway research and cell and matrix biology have
leading positions in Sweden and attract wide international attention. It
is our impression that the high quality work of the neurophysiological
division can probably withstand the anticipated retirement of a leading PI
in the foreseeable future, but that attention must be given to maintaining
the division’s international reputation. In the cell and matrix biology division,
retirement of the leading PI in the near future requires attention.
We think there is potential in the interaction of several researchers in the
Department, which have overlapping interests in matrix biology. It seems
that division of immunology has young and very promising researchers
and there is important potential in this division which could be exploited.
The division of cellular and molecular pharmacology might play an important
role if the Faculty considers taking part in establishing education
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in pharmacy in collaboration with other faculties. It seems natural that
this division should be involved in pharmacy education.
The division of diabetes metabolism and endocrinology also appears to
produce work of high quality in an area of substantial societal relevance.
There appears to be good interaction with other groups in the faculty who
study diabetes making this area an important part of the research profile
of the Faculty.
The small division of developmental biology may be under the critical
mass to be very productive. There seems little interaction between the
two PIs and the publication rate is falling and is currently at a low level.
The department has undergone substantial changes in the type of
personnel employed during the last 4 years. The number of research
fellows has been reduced to about 30% and the number of doctoral
students has been reduced with more than 50%. This is compensated
to some extent by an increase in the number of researchers, but there
is an overall substantial reduction in researchers. The reduction of
doctoral students was consequent to recommendations from a previous
evaluation and was motivated by the argument that postdoctoral
fellows produce better research, which is a relevant argument and it is
not our impression that the level is too low. On the other hand many of
the postdoctoral fellows (“researchers”) may come from countries where
the quality of the Ph.D. education is variable, although we have seen no
statistics for this.
We see a problem in that less than 10% of the scientific personnel at the
age of 38–39 years have permanent positions and that it is very difficult
for a young researcher to have a credible career path with some security
ahead of him/her. This is also in contrast with the stated goals of the
research strategy of the Faculty. We fear that this could discourage
talented young people to follow a research career and negatively influence
their choice of research projects, and it may have negative consequences
for the gender issues as it could be feared that this is a greater problem for
young female researchers.
We think there is a problem for the flexible development of high quality
research in the management structure. The HoD who is now running a
large unit has apparently very limited possibility to think strategically in
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that she has no control over the recruitment strategy and the economical
possibilities are very limited. Apparently she is responsible for deficits
but has limited access to surpluses arising during the year, although this
needs confirmation. If correct this has several consequences: It limits the
possibilities for the HoD who has insight into the detailed function of the
unit to act appropriately, it will be difficult to hire qualified and engaged
HoDs and it will be demotivating for the researchers to experience the
limited possibility of the Departmental management. We appreciate
that the management structure means that the formal power lies at the
Faculty management or with the Vice-chancellor, but we think that it
might be worth considering whether there could be some advantages in
delegating some more responsibility to the HoD.
It has been somewhat difficult to be certain on the strategy adopted for
the recruitment. On the one hand it was stated to us that the Faculty had
“a strategy of no strategy” in their recruitment plan despite that the stated
goals in the Faculty strategic plan is to develop “strategies for prioritizing
areas of research and staffing”. This apparently reflects the opening of 3
lectures positions which were not in specified areas. The aim was to try
to hire the best possible young investigators with the longterm goal of
establishing highly successful research groups in the future. From the positions
which are currently advertised at the faculty of Medicine it is clear
that there is a strategy behind the way that recruitment is approached. It
is difficult to find out what this recruitment means for the Department
of Experimental Medical Science. We should also point out that from
an internationalization point of view it is striking that the positions are
apparently only advertised in Swedish.
2. Research infrastructure
The research infrastructure is very good with the BMC being a good
platform for interaction and flexibility. There is room for improvement
though. To enhance possibilities for translational research it might be
worth considering whether clinicians and possibly relevant groups from
other faculties (e.g. science faculty) could be physically more integrated
with the preclinical researchers. In one instance we found the gangway
between the clinical and preclinical units in BMC blocked! Apparently
there is also a limited possibility for the researchers to meet at coffee
and lunch rooms for informal interaction. With respect to complex
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technological platforms there is a wish for better transgene facilities,
imaging facilities, mass spectroscopy facilities etc, as long as they are not
run as core facilities in the classical sense. It was suggested that they are
based in and run by research groups, which should then make some of
these state of the art technologies available for other groups. It is worth
considering how this is best done but for some facilities e.g. transgene
facilities it seems that a central facility run by a dedicated staff may be the
best option. There was also an indication that the IT support could be at
a higher level.
3. Research quality
The division consists of seven Divisions which are based on research
interests.
3.1 Cell and Matrix Biology
Summary: This is a relatively small Division, but populated by some
excellent scientists. The Division as a whole has a long and distinguished
history and a distinctive scientific profile. Their blueprint is the identification
and characterization of many proteoglycans and other types of
multifunctional molecules, the investigation of the complex architecture
of the extracellular matrix, and bridging basic research to relevant
disorders. Their contributions are internationally well recognized and
the Division can be counted among the leading matrix biology setups in
Europe. Another line is represented by work on binding of Helicobacter
pylori to mucins. The effort in Matrix Biology seems to far outweigh the
“Cell Biology”component – perhaps the name of this Division is not an
accurate reflection of activity.
Quality: On average excellent, though varies between very good and
outstanding. Many publications appear in highly regarded international
journals, and are cited often. It should be noted perhaps that not all
the chosen publications are in the first rank of journals, but this partly
reflects the specialized nature of some of the research. The high quality
research is backed up by significant extramural funding, although again
this is variable between investigators. The average support is less than that
of some other groups in the Department, but it is also probably the case
that not all investigators are full time in Lund.
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Productivity: The group consistently publishes and has kept up a very
good rate of publication over many years. On average very good.
Relevance: This is excellent to outstanding. Diseases of relevance to man
are studied, ranging from arthritis, atherosclerosis, reproductive biology
and muscular dystrophy. Important contributions have been made to all
of these areas, though inevitably, with the small division size, this means
that each disease area receives attention from only one group.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: Good – but an area of concern.
Several investigators will retire in the next few years, but a younger generation
of PIs, with very good track records, is also present. Nevertheless,
without replacement, the Division would be badly compromised. Future
plans depend on the recruitment strategy and the focus of the research.
As a future direction “cellular biomechanics” is targeted in the document.
This presumably builds on much of the current work in the area
of musculoskeletal extracellular matrix, and is a logical target. However,
connections with biomechanics, tissue engineering and related disciplines
are not apparent, and could be very important for the future. Moreover,
investigators in other Divisions, such as Developmental Biology and
Vascular/Airway research clearly have expertise related to that in Cell and
Matrix Biology, but there seems little collaboration. Altogether, the scope
of the research and strategies for embracing the changes that the Division
is facing should receive strong attention. Reducing fragmentation and
ensuring critical mass and synergies is essential. The strong medical
relevance and scientific profile should provide a fruitful basis for such
planning as well as the excellent international network of the Division.
3.2 Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
Summary: This is a relatively small division that includes sections in
Drug Target Discovery, Biogenic Amines, Biomedical Polymer Technology
and Genomics and Bioinformatics. The major concentration of
support is within the Biomedical polymer section. Overall the publication
record of the leaders of the sections is good, but it appears that the
productivity is restricted to these individuals. This is also the case with
the Genomics and Bioinformatics section in which the publications are
limited to manuscripts from Dr. Medstrand. It isn’t clear whether the
services and resources of this section are utilized by investigators in other
Divisions, or whether comparable resources and facilities exist elsewhere
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within the institution. There was no possibility to explore this further at
the site visit.
Quality: Overall the quality of the research is judged to be good. Importantly,
several of the publications have direct translational relevance.
The manuscripts are largely restricted to specialty journals and there are
only a limited number of publications that are published in higher impact
and general scientific journals.
Productivity: The productivity is judged to be good. Many of the
manuscripts are in press and past publication records are good. It isn’t
clear whether there are relations or collaborations with pharmaceutical
partners. This should be encouraged since several of the projects and
publications would appear to have clinical application and relevance.
Relevance: The focus of the research projects as exemplified in the
publications is relevant to the specialty interests of the sections. Likely,
because of the small number of research faculty, the work is of relatively
limited scope, although as described above, several of the projects have
clinical translational relevance.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: Because of the limited number
of personnel and relatively conservative budget, it is difficult to judge
the overall vitality. The leaders of the sections are the major authors on
essentially all of the publications and it would be useful to know whether
there are plans for expansion of the individual programs. Also, it isn’t
clear whether there is interaction and collaboration between the sections.
This is particularly the case with the Genomics and Informatics section
that in many research organizations serves as a general resource for the
research community. Also, it would be useful to know whether there are
ties to graduate programs outside the division and to have more information
concerning the graduate and post-graduate training and education
activities of the division.
3.3 Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology
Summary: The scientists in this Division produce work of excellent
quality, and the work is internationally well recognized. The questions
addressed in this area are central for our understanding of the pathophysiology
of the epidemic of obesity and diabetes and are therefore extraor-
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dinary relevant for the society. There appears to be a fruitful interaction
with other groups in the faculty interested in diabetes and it is stated that
it is intended to enhance this interaction further with the aim to optimize
possibilities for translational research.
Quality: On average very good to excellent. Many publications appear
in highly regarded international journals, and all PIs have high citation
rates. The high quality research is backed up by reasonable extramural
funding, to almost all PIs in the group. The average support is less than
that of some other groups in the Department.
Productivity: The group consistently publishes papers of high quality and
impact and has kept up a good rate of publication over many years.
Relevance: This is excellent to outstanding. Obesity and diabetes are
currently very important diseases in the society and it is very relevant that
this area has attention. The areas studied by the groups are central for our
understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: Judged as good. All PIs appear to
have vital programs with good publication rates. There are indications
that interaction with our groups interested in diabetes are strong and that
it is actively considered to enhance this interaction, which will provide
an excellent platform for synergism and translational research. The age
distribution suggests that the unit will remain viable although retirements
in the near future must require attention. The division has a very
high percentage of female researchers. It might have been interesting to
penetrate into the background for this.
3.4 Vascular and Airway Research
Airways
Summary: Airway Research is conducted and led by PIs, one of whom
is also Head of Department (HoD) of Experimental Medicine Science.
Both PIs have researcher status. The generated budget between them is
54.3% of their particular division. The overall divisional research strategy
is translational and focuses on mechanistic aspects of tissue remodelling
and repair processes. As such there are potential trends that could link
into other Divisions. For example, the Immunology Division, specifically
the grouping of Stem Cell Ageing which is likely to have aspects of
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research that could be exploited in determining differentiation and fate
of fibrocytes and other immune effector cells. It is difficult to ascertain
what interactions exist between these 2 groups or whether there are plans
in place to address a more global approach to Regenerative Medicine
and Tissue Engineering. This move would create critical mass, bringing
together relatively young scientists who have already made a mark in their
own niche whether locally or whilst in other Institutions; and collectively
have the potential to produce and establish outstanding international
acclaim in this fast advancing discipline at Lund in the future. The two
PIs appear to have individual research focus with good international
collaborations with peer scientists and industry.
Quality: At the moment the overall impression in terms of international
comparability and innovation is very good, but with strong potential
towards very good to excellent, as each PI’s portfolio matures. To achieve
this, there is a need for them to show a more uniformed research strategy
towards lung disease in their programme. Specifically, they need to show
a more coherent approach in their research programme of tissue remodelling
and repair; both would mutually benefit from creating valuable
interactions with other groups within their University milieu in the immediate
future. Strictly speaking, the research particularly that of GWT
is not just limited to the airway as is seen by some of the publications;
there is evidence of an interest in lung fibrogenesis and associated interstitial
lung diseases; hence the group’s name is a misnomer. It is advised
that perhaps name of Division is changed to encompass actual research
activity and direction. Furthermore, in view of the obvious interest in
fibrogenesis, there is a potential in strong links with the vascular group
and the Cell & Matrix Biology Division.
Productivity: Overall good. In terms of the budget allocation (54.3% of
their division and as a Division are the 2nd highest income generators in
the Department, though comparatively smaller by a long margin from
Neuroscience), one would have expected more and better publications
and wider data dissemination e.g. the majority of publications are in
respiratory journals; which whilst being excellent in the field, should be
balanced with top flight translational research journals with a broader
audience. From the recently circulated paperwork, there was a nil return
from one of the PIs. However on accessing PubMed there is the promise
of some good recent publications but not yet reaching excellent status.
A higher return might have been expected, but this should be seen in
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relation to one of the PIs being HoD which might impact on productivity,
particularly as some excellent publications were made 4–5 years ago.
Furthermore, judging by the recent papers, it would appear that the research
may have suffered a lapse in focus. A possible factor in the paucity
of apparent publications could also be the commercial interaction, which
may bind emerging data in IP and patent filings etc.
Relevance: In terms of relevance to lung disease and associated morbidity
and mortality of chronic airways diseases and pulmonary fibrosis, the
research focus on tissue remodelling and repair is very important and
opportune. Despite this one would judge the status of the PIs at the
moment to be good to very good as there is no objective evidence that their
recent research data has made a significant impact within the international
science and clinical community. In addition, whilst their resume suggests
that their research opens avenues for potential targets, there are no
research publications to date showing attempts at therapeutic modulation
of key molecules or regulatory pathways to stop/reverse tissue remodelling.
There is much room for critical improvement to lift their research
programme to a future excellent status; the potential is clearly there but
this requires a targeted strategy and stronger interaction between the 2
PIs and with other groups in the first instance.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: In view of the comments already
made, this is judged at the moment to be good but with a potential to
achieve at least excellent status in future. This is a major area of concern
as it also appears that lung research is directed by just 2 PIs with researcher
status, whom are not 100% permanently employed, yet they appear
to have relatively significant income generation.
Vascular
Summary: The research is conducted by 4 researchers (two of which have
professor status and two have researcher status) with PI status. Three of
them make vascular (smooth muscle and endothelial cell) physiology and
one makes vascular wall biology as it relates to atherosclerosis. Between
them they generate about half of the divisions grant money and the division.
There are strong interactions between the three researchers making
vascular physiology but there appears to be little interaction between this
group and the PI which makes vascular wall biology. There is a recent
focus on the role of the extracellular matrix for modeling of the vascular
wall and it would be of interest to know whether there is interaction
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with the other groups in the Department which are also interested in
extracellular matrix biology although it may not necessarily be a fruitful
interaction.
Quality: The quality of the research is very good to excellent in comparison
with other groups in the same area, although there is quite some
variability between the individuals with respect to the quality of the
output. There are publications in the best vascular journals although
no publications in the top general journals have been produced. Since
the grant money for the three researchers making vascular physiology
is pooled it is difficult to assess the ability of the individuals to generate
money. It would be relevant to obtain more information on the research
educational activity in the unit e.g. how many doctoral students are part
of the group.
Productivity: In terms of productivity all four PIs are publishing although
for one of the PIs the publications are in journals of limited impact.
Relevance: Vascular diseases is a major burden for society in terms of
morbidity and socioeconomical impact. The general theme of the group
is therefore of substantial importance. It is difficult from the “description
of future promising research areas” to see in which direction the group is
orienting themselves and which type of interaction they foresee.
Vitality and Organizational Capacity: It is now time to consider under
which conditions the vascular group should continue given that the
senior PI is 63 years. It is important to ensure stable conditions for the
young and productive members of the group and also to consider whether
the PI doing vessel wall biology has the critical mass to perform at an
optimal level or whether conditions for her could be improved. It is
relevant that a productive PI and his group moved one year ago. It should
be considered whether it is important to replace him.
3.5 Immunology
Summary: The Division of Immunology appears to be a relatively
moderately sized grouping with the third largest collective budget within
the Department of Experimental Medical Science. The overall research
focus is on immune response regulation and relationship to disease
pathogenesis, which according to Form 2 is described as being in autoim-
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mune/inflammatory diseases (MS, SLE and RA) and cancer. However
recent publications appear to relate to the gut, haematopoietic progenitor
cell differentiation and like studies; there are no apparent translational
or clinical papers in these disease areas. It was not possible to penetrate
more into this at the site visit. There are 6 PIs listed, with the majority
of income support for 1 of the professors (WA) and a recently appointed
researcher; it is clear that these 2 comparatively young PIs are raising stars
to an excellent international level with first class research. Recent changes
appear to have been introduced in this Division, with a creation of the
Centre for Immune Regulation under FI as PI. It is difficult to determine
why this separate group has been formed and the motivation behind this
step, but it appears to be related to the importance of young researchers
to create their own groups to be competitive for the few permanent
positions. One of the difficulties to gauge is how this Division inter-links
with other relevant areas within the Department or are they isolated? For
example, the group of Stem cell Ageing is extremely important; but it
would also fit in well with other areas such as for example Vascular and
Airway Research and possibly aspects of Cell and Matrix Biology. It may
prove more opportune for the Department to strategically focus efforts
on forming a critical mass interest in Regenerative Medicine, Cellular
Engineering and Matrix biology. Despite this, some of the PIs have established
some excellent collaborations with external premier Institutions;
there appear to be circulated publications for Reproductive Immunology,
but it is not possible to see where it’s PI fits in or the budget and how this
research activity fits in with the rest of the Division.
Quality: Very good to excellent; indeed some areas may even be considered
to be Outstanding with data dissemination in highly acclaimed top-ofthe-league
international journals; although it needs to be pointed out that
publications for Stem Cell Ageing appear to be ones possibly masterminded
from Stanford University, and indeed the work may not have been
performed in Lund.
Productivity: Sadly this varies from poor to excellent across the PIs. First
class activity in Mucosal Immunology, clearly reflecting the international
status and niche expertise of the PI. This contrasts markedly with the
poor return of Immune Regulation, which does not appear to have any
papers for past 2–3 years, yet has been singled out as a separate Centre.
Again it is difficult to know whether the returns for the Stem Cell Ageing
PI have been performed in Lund or in another Institution.
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Relevance: Good to very good. Albeit that recent years have seen a huge
growth in –omics and molecular biology research, immune effector cell
interactions and regulation remain a hugely important area relevant to
disease pathogenesis, opening up new avenues for therapeutic targeting.
However, as stated above, the translational aspects of the current research
programme are not immediately visible. Mucosal Immunity could also
link into certain aspects of lung cell biology. There is a huge future opportunity
with the Stem Cell Aging group, but it is vital that links are made
to other divisions with like interests.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: Very good in terms of some bright
young PIs with strong budgets giving this Division a good prognosis for
the future; but as outlined in the summary above there are outstanding
questions to answer in terms of overall structure and how this translates
to the individual PIs and as a whole. This makes it difficult to truly
evaluate their ability to manage project activity within this particular
division.
3.6 Neuroscience
Summary: In summary, this is an excellent unit with two foci of interest
in neurophysiology of sensory motor systems and neurodegenerative
disorders. Given the relatively-small size of the unit, the strategy to focus
research on these topics seems appropriate. Our judgment of excellence
in neuroscience is based on outstanding publications of some of the
PIs and on plentiful funding from competitive grants. Still, attention
should be paid to recruitment of new, young PIs who will be able to build
strong, independent research programs with international impact and
independent funding, and whose programs would bridge between the
two existing foci of neurophysiology and analysis of neurodegenerative
disorders.
Quality: The Neuroscience Unit at Lund University is of excellent quality.
It is composed of two centres of excellence with high quality levels. The
Neurofortis and Bagadilico Consortia are of outstanding quality and composed
in part of world leader in the field of neurodegenerative disorders.
The results obtained in term of modelling neurodegenerative disorders,
understanding the pathophysiology and developing new neurorestorative
strategies is of utmost quality. The second Centre of Excellence composing
the neuroscience unit is the Neuronano Research Centre which
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conducts neurophysiological research and is involved in development of
small size new tools for neurophysiology. This subgroup produces very
high-quality, internationally-recognized research in the areas of spinal
cord function and cerebellar function and learning, but is somewhat
uneven in terms of the accomplishments of different members. Several of
the Neuronano investigators have excellent international reputations that
are deserved, while a number seem to be lagging in terms of international
recognition. The methodological developments of Neuronano are of high
quality and should be used more widely especially by the other Centre of
Excellence in the Neuroscience Unit.
Productivity: The productivity of the Neuroscience Unit taken as a whole
is excellent in term of both quality and quantity. Yet, the overall analysis
masks the fact that some PIs have an outstanding productivity whereas
others have only a very good or good productivity. This distinction is
not a matter of age of the PIs as both young and more aged PIs have an
outstanding productivity. It is rather a matter of individual accomplishments
of the researcher. In particular, the productivity of the Neuronano
Research Centre is very uneven and the group’s publication stream is
dominated by a small fraction of the investigators.
Relevance: The research topic developed by the Neuroscience Unit is
highly relevant in term of clinical, social and socio-economic aspects.
Indeed, it deals with a major issue of our industrialize countries namely
neurodegenerative disorders. The unit tries to better understand the pathophysiology
of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s and
Huntington’s disease and to develop therapeutic strategies for neurorestoration.
Such strategies are directly tested by some of the applicants and
have provided new therapeutical strategies. The Neuronano unit concerns
itself with the relationship between cellular/molecular mechanisms and
behavioural function and is therefore highly relevant to developing an
understanding of the relationship between molecular-based neurological
disease and the symptoms of disease. Furthermore, in term of methodological
development, the study of new types of implantable arrays of
ultrathin electrodes telemetrically connected for electrophysiological
analysis is potentially of high impact. Thus, the Neuroscience Unit as a
whole must be strongly supported by Lund University both in term of
new positions and funding.
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Vitality and organisational capacity: The vitality of the Department of
Neuroscience is of excellent quality as attested by the fact that this department
has been able to attract young neuroscientists from other countries
as PIs in the centres of excellence. One troublesome point is that only half
of the investigators in Neuronano seem to have grant support, raising
questions about the true independence of some of the scientists listed as
members. Further, some of the PIs will retire during the next ten years
and it is of utmost importance that their position is retained within
the department. This represents a unique opportunity to reorganize
and strengthen the department. In particular, the interaction between
the two Centres of Excellence is not obvious and the new recruitments
should bridge the gap between methodological development and electrophysiological
studies on one hand and the study of neurodegenerative
disorders on the other hand. In particular, the Unit of Neuroscience may
benefit from the integration of groups involved in the pathophysiology
of neurodegenerative disorders and those capable of physiological and
electrophysiological studies. There also may be some synergies in development
of interactions with quantitative disciplines such as physics or
computer science and with more traditional psychology, all of which
recently have begun to interact seriously with basic and translational
neuroscience research in other countries.
3.7 Developmental Biology
Summary: This is a very small Division, with just two PIs. Both use
Drosophila as a model for examining development, extracellular matrix
and regulation of the cytoskeleton with relevance to cell polarity. The
output used to be good but has dropped over recent years. The publications
are routinely in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals.
The group has external funding, though perhaps less on average than
others in the Department. The major concerns are whether the group
has critical mass. It is difficult to see connections with related science in
other Divisions and interaction. Clearly this area would require considerable
internal funding if Developmental Biology is to be expanded.
Quality: The groups have published in high quality journals, and
have an international reputation for their work. Extramural funding is
current, although at a level below the mean for other Divisions in the
Department.
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Productivity: There has been a declining level of publication in the
recent past.
Relevance: Very good. It has been shown many times that research into
model systems, including invertebrate, can have impact on understanding
the molecular regulation of development and disease in the human.
Therefore, while indirect, this research can be relevant to human health.
Vitality and Organisational Capacity: Poor. There is concern that this
Division does not enjoy a critical mass for optimal progress. While there
is some scientific overlap with work in the Divisions of Cell and Matrix
Biology, and Vascular/Airway, in the area of matrix biology, there seems
to be little collaboration. It should be assessed whether the Divisions are
geographically separate or can share core facilities with related research
activities. Given that there will be retirements in related fields within the
Department, this may be the opportunity to rationalise the organisation.
4. Collaboration
The department is very large, with around 200 members, and this has
arisen through reorganisation in 2005 that included amalgamations.
From discussions and publications it is clear that there is evidence of a
good level of collaboration between research groups from within the
Department, and across Departments although a detailed analysis of
this was not possible with the time given for this evaluation. Some
have included members of clinical departments, and together with a
clear commitment to bring medically qualified investigators into PhD
programmes, a foundation is present for future and further collaborations
that include translational aspects of biomedical research. The excellent
BMC in Lund therefore has the potential to be a significant focus of
research that spans the basic and clinical disciplines, and could develop
into a major strength of the University. This can be enhanced by clinical
appointments where research interests can be housed in the BMC where
collaborations with members of the Experimental Medicine Department
can be fostered. This might also be enhanced by the Faculty promoting
joint PhD programmes, where students have mentors drawn from clinical
and preclinical departments. This type of future investment by the
University, is of relatively low cost, yet may yield high returns in the form
of further funding opportunities.
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5. Research activity and teaching
It appears that most members of the department take part in the undergraduate
and graduate teaching, which means that the teaching is
research based. We have not spoken with sufficient number of researchers
or received sufficient material about this issue to know to what extent the
teaching is impacting in negative or positive ways on the research.
6. Evaluation of future plans
In the documentation provided, rather limited information on future
plans was described. This is perhaps consistent with the documentation
being provided by the Head of Department, yet policy generated at the
level of the Dean. However, there is a need to continue the development
of technology platforms, and this was strongly endorsed in discussions
through the site visit. The published document “The Future of the
Faculty of Medicine: strategic plan 2007–2011”, describes with a general
plan for development, but again the section entitled “Research Strategies”
emphasises collaborative, and integrative approaches, but defers prioritisation
to the Faculty’s Strategic Advisory Board. A slightly different
emphasis is encompassed in a second document “The Way Forward: Staff
Strategy for the Faculty of Medicine 2007–2012”, where specific foci of
strength are identified. Some are clearly within the remit of the Department
of Experimental Medicine and include neuroscience research,
immunology, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes and stem cell research.
It is then clear and appropriate that support should be provided to areas
of strength. From discussions with Faculty leadership, a second strand
is to support successful researchers whatever the specialty. However,
the nature of support, other than infrastructure is not so clear, and it is
apparent that close interaction between the faculty and the Dean and his
Advisory Board must be maintained in order that promising research is
fostered and supported. Here a role for the Head of Department could be
strengthened.
Within the Faculty and the University, there are clear goals of increasing
internationalisation. However, perhaps understandable in view of limited
available funds, the approach of the Faculty of Medicine is to emphasise
the recruitment of overseas postdoctoral researchers, rather than recruitment
into faculty positions. Undoubtedly universities are enriched by the
infusion of new blood, and the BMC provides a stimulating environment
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for young researchers. Successful young international researchers can
then be fostered for the future. However, to be fully maximised, the
University of Lund website, and recruitment calls must be easily accessed
in English in addition to Swedish.
7. Future potentials and possibilities
Research into life sciences of the sort made in the department is in high
demand currently and has substantial potential. It is the impression that
there are substantial possibilities for the department to take part in this
development. In particular it seems relevant that there is a good mix of
senior people and young skilled scientists, which are highly competitive.
The very competitive atmosphere is documented by many apparently
highly qualified applicants for recent new research positions (this needs
documentation). In the current financial situation (a substantial deficit) it
is our view that by far the best option is to provide good opportunities for
young people rather than spending big sums in an attempt to recruit top
international scientist, whose recruitment may be difficult to maintain in
Lund, even if successful. This view is reinforced by the limited success for
the Faculty with this approach in the recent history and by the situation
that the most successful group in the department is based on local talent.
The success of neurophysiology has ensured an influx of very good
people from abroad and thus documented the potential value of the more
conservative approach. This does not mean that there should not be efforts
made to recruit international scientists and to this end it is a surprise
that apparently the recent call for new research positions is posted in
Swedish only. There is a concern that none of the professors retiring from
the department in the coming years will be replaced. This is a concern we
share, because it would be damaging to the potential of the department
with longlasting consequences.
8. Gender and equal opportunity issues
The proportion of females at the research fellow level and the Ph.D.
student level is about 65% which is very good – even to the extent where
one should consider why males are outnumbered and whether this is
important. At the senior lectures level 35% are females and at the professor
level only 16% and there has been little change in these figures over
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the last 4 years. It could be hoped that the figures for the senior positions
will improve in the coming years with the high proportion of females
at the younger level. However we fear that the barely visible career
tract with doctoral status at an average age of 31 years and a permanent
position only at 40–45 years of age may impact negatively on this.
We see the dramatic shift in gender balance at higher levels of seniority
as related to the slow and uncertain process of advancement to independence
in the system at the University of Lund. In this regard, we have
two overall recommendations to correct this situation. One is that the
University make it a priority to enable independence of highly qualified
individuals at a young age (early 30’s) and support this priority with
central funding and incentives that make positions both attractive and
viable. The second is that the University creates, monitors, and rewards
an effort for mentoring young investigators. In many top institutions, it
is now common to create a mentoring committee for a starting investigator
and to mandate that this committee meet with the investigator
semi-annually, going over strategy and detail, helping in the generation
of requests for funding, and keeping close track of research and career
progress. Given the institutional mandate for international reputation, it
might be valuable to include recognized international authorities on the
mentoring committee of starting investigators.
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PANEL 10 – MEDICINE | LABORATORY
CONTENTs
1. Overall assessment......................................................................................271
2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund..................................................271
3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö..............................................287
4. Stem Cell Center Lund................................................................................293
1. Overall assessment
The research activity at the Departments of Laboratory Medicine in Lund
and in Malmö and at the Lund Stem cell Center holds on average a high
standard but with substantial variations between different Departments.
The Stem Cell Center Lund has been a very successful concept. During
the past five years the Center has developed into an internationally recognized
unit that is steadily producing groundbreaking scientific reports.
The Stem Cell Center is also an ample demonstration of how synergistic
advantages can be achieved by gathering enthusiastic scientist around a
common theme in a translational setting.
The number of publications trends to dominate over the quality. This is
a general phenomenon in Scandinavian countries. It is partially caused
by the relatively short of external financing terms that compels researcher
to produce papers in order to ensure funding for the next period. The
PhD training programs, in which the candidate is expected to generate
publications within a limited time, also favours many small papers.
2. Department of Laboratory Medicine Lund
2.1 Overall research infrastructure
The Department includes eight Divisions of Clinical Chemistry and
Pharmacology, Clinical Genetics, Hematology and Transfusion Medicine,
Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Microbiology, Microbiology,
Immunology and Glycobiology, Occupational and Environmental
Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology. It is unusual to find Divisions
like Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology
included in the Department of Laboratory Medicine. On the other
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hand Pathology does not belong to the Laboratory Medicine in Lund
while the Division of Pathology in Malmö is included. The reason for this
inconformity is not discernible from the provided material.
The Department lists a staff of 125 persons in 2007 including 18 professors
(two females) three research fellows 20 researches and four senior
lecturers (a reduction of five positions since 2003).
Taken together, the Department of Laboratory Medicine Lund has a very
strong research tradition. There are several highly successful groups that
consistently contribute to the cutting edge of their field of research. The
age distribution of the PIs is, however, rather high with several retirements
ahead during the next few years. The forthcoming recruitments of
PIs will be critical for the continuous success of the research activity at
the Department of Laboratory medicine in Lund The gender equality is
still not on a satisfactory level.
Given that translational research is a strategic goal of the Faculty, it
is interesting to notice that the proportion of the PhD student with a
medical background has increased during the past five years from 37 to
52 percent. This change is, however, manly caused by a reduced overall
recruitment of PhD students in particular of those with a basic training
in natural sciences. There is a gender imbalance among the newly registered
PhD students with 78% women.
2.2 The Division of Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology/Lund
2.2.1 Overall assessment
The Division is quite large and subdivided in several Sections (research
groups), which appear to work quite independently even if some of
them collaborate. Most groups mainly conduct basic medical research,
but some of them have successfully translated their results into clinical
diagnostics. Several groups are well consolidated and internationally
renowned, some are of good national standard, while some relatively new
groups are still establishing themselves.
2.2.2 Research infrastructure
The infrastructure of the Division is rather confusing. The units in
Malmö and Lund appear to be quite independent of each other, some
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“Sections” being present only in one location while other ones with the
same name (e.g., clinical chemistry) occur in “several copies”, defined by
the research focus of the PI. It is not clear how the “Management Group”
in Lund and the “Department Board” in Malmö collaborate and coordinate
their activities within the Division.
2.2.3 Research quality
The overall level of expertise at the Department is very high especially in
areas such as protein chemistry, protease and protease inhibitor research,
and molecular biology including expression of recombinant proteins.
Expertise in protein mass spectrometry is apparently obtained through
collaboration with other University Departments. The quality of the
research conducted in the groups varies; some groups are at the ultimate
front line of their field. The groups are therefore commented on separately.
Cystatins GFR
This group led by Anders Grubb has performed outstanding basic
research on urinary proteins and has translated the results into internationally
accepted clinical methods for evaluation of kidney function.
Score: Excellent
Lipid metabolism (Peter Nilsson-Ehle)
The group performs research on several topics at a moderate rate.
Score: Insufficient
“Pain, sens nerve” (Edward Högestätt/Peter Zygmunt)
This group has produced some research of very high quality but at a
moderate pace
Score: Good
Cystatins and cancer (Dr. Magnus Abrahamson.)
This group produces results of high quality at a fairly steady pace.
Score: Good
Urogenital pharmacology (Karl-Erik Andersson/Petter Hedlund)
This is a very active group producing exciting results of clinical relevance.
Score: Excellent
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2.2.4 Collaboration
Collaborate between groups is variable, but many groups are extensively
networked both on a national and international level. They also pursue
successful collaboration with clinicians in the faculty. The expertise
within the University and in other Divisions is apparently utilized.
2.2.5 Research activity and teaching
The average research activity is high. The trend has been fairly constant
during the last five years. The training of PhD students appears to be well
organized.
2.2.6 Evaluation of future plans
Information on future plans is available for a few top groups only. The
plans presented are challenging but realistic.
2.2.7 Future potentials and possibilities
Several group leaders are of international top class and some relatively
new PIs are very promising. The PIs of several groups are approaching
their retirement meaning that new PIs have to be recruited of during
the next years. Some groups have successfully translation their research
findings into clinical diagnostics while other ones and could probably utilize
their findings more efficiently. A closer coordination of the activities
in Lund and Malmö and between the different groups on each site should
be encouraged.
2.3 Division of Medical Microbiology, Lund
2.3.1 Overall assessment
The Departments of Laboratory Medicine in Lund and Malmö both
contain teams having projects dealing with Immunology and Microbiology.
However, in the documents provided it is not clear how the
different teams interact with each other. Their interaction with hospital
Departments of infectious diseases on each site also remains unclear.
Therefore, separate evaluation will be done for each team. On both sites,
outstanding and excellent teams are present.
The FENYÖ group
Research on pathogenesis of human and simian immunodeficiency
viruses: biological and antigenic variation. Research interest focused on
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phenotypic differences of HIV•1, HIV•2 and SIV isolates sequentially
collected from adults or children and from SIV• infected monkeys
undergoing progressive disease. The aim is to learn about pathogenic
mechanisms in HIV infection and in the SIV model in order to help
design therapeutic and preventive measures. During the past five years 25
papers in journals of good standard. This team has ongoing international
collaboration. Fenyö has retired.
Score: Very good
The Lennart Larsson group
Investigations on microbial metabolomics: Studies specialized in developing
mass spectrometry-based analytical techniques for determining
microbial monomeric structures and metabolites (chemical markers) in
complex matrices. Focus on pathogenesis and diagnosis of infections,
toxin analysis, asthma/allergy, and microbial structure/bioactivity
relationships. The activity is good with some 29 papers during the past
five years in journals good standard. This team is actively involved in
international collaborations. Plans for the future cannot be evaluated
from the material provided.
Score: Good
The Claes Schalen/Aftab Jasir group
Investigations on the epidemiology of group A streptococcal infections
(clinical microbiology). Coordination of a major four-year EU project
(”Strep-EURO”) focused on the epidemiology of severe group A streptococcal
infections. A matter of concern in the diffuse focus of the research
projects. It seems that there is no collaboration with the outstanding
team of G. Lindahl (see later) that is doing research on similar topics on
Group A streptococci. The scientific output of the groups has been very
modest. This team is coordinator of a major four-year EU project (”Strep-
EURO”). Plans for the future cannot be evaluated from the material
provided. Schalen is approaching his retirement.
Score: Insufficient
The Gunnar Lindahl group
Molecular analysis of host-pathogen interactions in bacterial infections
with special emphasis on the molecular mechanisms by which pathogenic
streptococci cause disease. The question of how streptococci evade
host immunity is also being addressed. Since 2003, thirteen articles
published in highly prestigious journals like Nature, J Exp Med, Cell
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Host Microbes, PloS Pathogens, Mol Microbiol, Infect Immun, Vaccine.
The plans for the future are difficult to evaluate from the documents
provided. Lindahl has recently retired from his professorship but is still
actively doing research. The Faculty is facing a challenge in finding a
successor of corresponding capacity.
Score: Excellent–Outstanding
Torkel Wadstöm group
Studies on Helicobacter pylori and their association with chronic liver
diseases, inflammatory bowel disease diseases, pancreatitis and malignancies
of the GI tract. Focus on pathogenesis and development of diagnostic
tools for human and veterinary medicine. Since 2003, 40 papers in good
journals of clinical microbiology. The plans for the future are difficult to
evaluate from the documents provided. Wadström has retired.
Score: Good
2.3.2 Evaluation and recommendations:
It is somehow surprising to find that activities generated by already
retired PIs are included in the material provided for evaluation. Although
they are still active to various extents, the evaluation should be focused
on the current situation. The impression remains, that the Division of
Medical Microbiology is facing some restructuring with recruitments
of new PIs. Main emphasis should be put on improved collaboration
between the different groups involved in microbiological research in
Lund and also with the corresponding groups in Malmö.
2.4 Division of Microbiology, Immunology and Glyco biology
The research activity of the Divisions Microbiology, Immunology and
Glyco biology headed by Catharina Svanborg is focused on three main
topics:
A: Microbial pathogenesis and activation of mucosal inflammation with
urinary tract infection s as a comprehensive model. The host response
to infections and the tissue pathology. The ultimate goal it to provide
a molecular and genetic explanation for the susceptibility to mucosal
infections and to offer more precise tools for their diagnosis and
therapy.
B: The innate immunity and resistance to mucosal infection
C. HAMLET – a folding variant of human α-lactalbumin that
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selectively induces apoptosis in tumor cells. HAMLET has also been
found to kill streptococci. This may turn out to be an important
discovery that may lead to the development of new therapeutic
modalities of cancer and infections. The group has carried out highly
innovative research during the past years. Several discoveries have
been groundbreaking in the field. This group has the vitality and
originality required for continuous production of top-level science
during the forthcoming years. Since 2003 36 published papers, many
in the most prestigious journals.
Score: Outstanding
2.5 Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy
2.5.1 Overall assessment
The research at the Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy
has high quality, is internationally competitive and has innovative power.
The PIs are leading scientists in their field with international reputation.
The scientific productivity by all research groups and principal investigators
is high as documented by the number of original publications in
the last 5–10 years. All research areas are relevant in terms of scientific,
social and socioeconomic significance. The vitality and ability to manage
research is convincing. Translational strength of the research is documented
by the nature of the individual projects and the interactions with
Lund Stem Cell Centre.
2.5.2 Research infrastructure
The Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Department of
Laboratory Medicine, Lund is a relatively small research laboratory with
24 researchers including one professor, 12 postdocs, 7 PhD and graduate
students and 4 other personnel. The technology applied at Division of
Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy is up-to-date, advanced and high
through put including virus vector gene transfer, gene microarray and
genetic screening methodology among others.
2.5.3 Research quality
The head of Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Stefan
Karlsson is internationally recognized and famous for his scientific discoveries
and impact in the field of hematopoiesis and cell and gene therapy.
His research is characterized by originality, high quality, productivity and
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impact. Group leaders Jörg Cammenga, Jonas Larsson and Johan Richter
are also innovative, competitive and internationally respected. Together
their contributions have resulted in international recognition of Division
of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy.
2.5.4 Collaboration
The Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy are strongly
interacting with other research groups in the Department of Laboratory
Medicine, Lund including the Lund Stem Cell Centre, Division of
Clinical Genetics.
2.5.5 Research activity
The research activities at the Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene
Therapy are focused on two main areas: the cellular and molecular
mechanisms of hematopoiesis, and development of cell and gene therapies
for patients with malignant or genetic blood disorders. The two research
areas hematopoiesis and cell and gene therapy are well integrated and
interlinked.
The hematopoiesis area covers several topics including hematopoietic
stem cell self-renewal, Smad signaling, regulation by Hox proteins and
stem cell expansion. In these projects the genetic control of hematopoietic
stem cell proliferation, self-renewal, differentiation and commitment is
investigated at the molecular and cellular level.
The cell and gene therapy area covers various genetic diseases that
disturb normal function of blood cells and malignant disorders of the
blood, bone marrow and lymphnodes. These diseases would be strong
candidates for stem cell gene therapy. Examples are Gaucher disease,
Diamond-Blackfan anemia, osteopetrosis and various immune defects as
well as leukemias and lymphomas. In these projects the long-term goal is
to develop hematopoietic stem cell expansion for cell and gene therapy.
2.5.6 Evaluation of future plans
No detailed planning provided in the material.
2.5.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy has an optimal
size of a research centre with >10 researchers with one PI. This meets the
criteria of critical mass for competitive research at an international level.
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The research profile of has good focus and clear purpose. The methodological
approaches are characterized by novel and state-of-the-art technologies
for high-through-put research. The research organization is clear
with 1 principal investigator and 3 group leaders. The two main areas of
research: cellular and molecular mechanism of hematopoiesis and development
of cell and gene therapies for patients with malignant or genetic
blood disorders are well integrated and connected. The interaction with
researchers in other Departments and Institutions at Lund University in
particular Lund Stem Cell Centre is optimal.
2.5.8 Recommendation
The Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy should keep
its organization develop the projects and continue its fruitful research
activities and collaborations at Lund University.
Score: Outstanding
2.6 Division of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine (OEM)
2.6.1 Organization
Occupational and Environmental Medicine includes one clinical unit
(Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) at the
University Hospital in Lund and a research unit (Division of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine within the Department of Laboratory
Medicine/Lund) in the Medical Faculty at Lund University. The clinical
and research activities are claimed to be well integrated. The entire Department
of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has a total staff
of approximately 75 persons in 2008. These include approximately 35
professors, physicians and researchers, 10 research students and 30 other
personnel working in 5 defined research groups according to the home
page of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The Division of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Laboratory
Medicine, Lund are a medium-size research department.
The entire Department is divided in 6 clinical sections: Airway disorders,
Ergonomics, Epidemiology and environmental medicine, Occupational
and environmental hygiene, Environmental analytical chemistry and
Behavioural medicine. A section chief, who is also principal investigator
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for the corresponding research section with the exception of Occupational
and environmental hygiene, directs the sections. A Chief physician
and a Professor direct the Department.
2.6.2 Research activities
The research activities at the Division of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund, are related to
5 main programs: Cancer, genotoxicity and impairment of reproductive
health by environmental agents; Respiratory disease caused by environmental
factors; Health effects of metals; Work-related musculoskeletal
disease; Behavioural medicine.
The Cancer, genotoxicity and reproduction program is run by the Section
of Epidemiology and Environmental Medicine and has focus on the
environmental agents for the emergence of malignant neoplasms and for
negative effects on reproductive health. Epidemiological techniques are
used in combination with biomarkers for internal dose, early biological
effects, and genetic susceptibility. Three areas are investigated: the dietary
source for persistent organohalogen compounds, such as e.g. PCB and
dioxins, in fatty fish from the Baltic Sea; association between occupational
exposure to mineral dust and colorectal cancer; impact of clonal
chromosomal aberrations in tumor cells and environmental risk factors
on the emergence of myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia
and other forms of leukaemia.
The area of Respiratory diseases is investigated by the Section of Airway
Disorders and has focus on human health implications of air pollution
and chemical residues in the environment. Among pollutants studied are
organohalogen compounds, phthalates, pesticides, and heavy metals as
well as nanoparticles. The pollutant exposure is quantified by mass spectrometry,
and biomarkers of effect are determined. Genetic susceptibility
is analysed. Health effects are determined in experimental settings,
medical examinations at workplaces or by epidemiological surveys and
register studies. The results have lead to recommendations for regulatory
purposes, i.e. occupational exposure limits, and dietary recommendations
from the Swedish National Food Administration.
The area of Health and metals is investigated by the Section on Environmental
analytical chemistry and has focus on the environmental exposure
to metals (mainly lead, mercury, cadmium, platinum, palladium and
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rhodium) Analysis of blood from children (yearly sampling) and adults
(biobank samples and continuous sampling) is performed and compared
to, emissions from industry and traffic, and fish intake.
Research on work-related musculoskeletal area is performed in the
Section on Ergonomics with focus on the physical and mental workload.
The physical and mental exposure and effect are quantified by various
methods like wrist flexion velocity and salivary cortisol. Data on physical
workload as well as prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among
workers have been collected from about 50 different work settings. Epidemiological
and experimental studies have contributed with empirically
based development of theoretical models on Idiopathic Environmental
Intolerance. Longitudinal studies of working populations, as well as of
cases with work stress related disorders, are ongoing to reveal the course
of, and risk factors for long-term effects of work related stress.
Behavioural medicine is investigated in the Section on Behavioural Medicine
with focus on stress factors and their psychological and biological
effects within a broad range of branches and work sites. Examples are
night working persons in hospitals and industry, subjects with idiopathic
environmental illness such as subjective sensitivity to electric equipment
or smells, and persons with stress and exhaustion reactions. Stress is
interpreted in terms of cognitive activation theory of stress, transactional
models and the accumulation of previous and present load. The interaction
between physical and psychosocial work environment is studied
using self-reported stress factors and health, and biological outcome
measures, such as activation of nervous and endocrine systems.
2.6.3 Researchers
The research is led by 4 PIs including Maria Albin (Epidemiology and environmental
medicine,) Bo Jönsson (Airway disorders), Staffan Skjerfving
(Environmental analytical chemistry and Ergonomics) and Björn Karlsson
(Behavioural medicine). These 4 principal investigators are in general
characterized by originality, high quality, productivity and impact in their
research. They are innovative, competitive and internationally respected.
2.6.4 Interactions with other research groups at Lund University
The Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department
of Laboratory Medicine, Lund has several inter-department interactions
within Lund University driven firstly by research needs and common
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interests in scientific or educational issues. To exemplify, the newly formed
FAS (The Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research)
and Centre of Excellence METALUND brings together researchers from
the division and the Department of Aerosol Technology and Ergonomics.
2.6.5 Technologies
The Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has a wellequipped
laboratory with broad mass spectrometry equipment and PCR.
The division has developed advanced technology for work place investigations
with equipment to measure physical workloads. Other strengths
are the closeness to the health/hospital system and access to the unique
Swedish disease registries (causes of deaths, births, tumors, and in- and
out-patients), and to large bio-banks.
2.6.6.Evaluation
The research at the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
has high quality, is internationally competitive and has innovative
power. In general, the principal investigators are leading scientists in their
field with varying international reputation. The scientific productivity by
all research groups and principal investigators is generally high as documented
by the number of original publications in the last 5–10 years. All
research areas are relevant in terms of scientific, social and socioeconomic
significance. The research projects have actuality. The vitality and ability
to manage research is difficult to evaluate from the material. Translational
strength of the research is documented by the nature of the individual
projects and the interactions with other departments at Lund University.
2.6.7 Criticism
Research groups of the Division of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine include 3 groups with >10 researchers and 2 smaller groups
with 4–7 researchers in each group. On an international level the smaller
groups do not have the critical mass for competitive, high performance
and cutting edge research.
The research profile of the 2 small groups is thin with narrow focus and
purpose. The methodological approaches are characterized by traditional
methods, small-scale analysis and limited equipment. There is no capacity
for the single group to implement and develop new demanding technologies
of large scale.
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The organization of the 5 research groups in the Division of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine is not clear. On the home page the
number of researchers listed in each research program is equal to the
number of academic personnel in the corresponding clinical section of
the Department. However, there is no information on the actual working
hours allocated to research versus clinical and medical work. Accordingly,
it is difficult to evaluate the actual personnel and working hours in
research.
The productivity of the PIs of the 5 research groups varies from relatively
high (60 publications in scientific journals per 10 years) to very low (10
publications in scientific journals per 10 years). The highest productivity
is found in the 3 research programs on epidemiology and Environmental
medicine, Airway disorders and Environmental analytical chemistry.
In contrast, the 2 research programs on Ergonomics and behavioural
medicine have very low productivity (10 publications in scientific journals
per 10 years).
The 3 main research programs: Epidemiology and environmental
medicine, Airway disorders and Environmental analytical chemistry are
closely related. These programs are internationally highly respected and
have impact on environmental research worldwide. They represent the
core and prime research activity of the Division.
2.6.8 Recommendations
The Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine should
reform the organization in two ways. First, the integration and cooperation
in the 3 main research programs should be optimized. This may be
done by fusion of the 3 programs into one program on Epidemiology and
environmental medicine with one PI and 2–4 group leaders on selected
topics like cancer, respiratory diseases, reproduction and analytical
research. This research program will attain sufficient size for competitive,
high performance and cutting edge research.
The two small research programs on work-related Musculoskeletal and
Behavioural disorders should be united into one program with one PI. The
research activities in the two areas are similar in aim, approach and methods.
They would benefit from the synergy in a larger research group with
>10 researchers. Selected topics like physical and mental workload and stress
factors and their psychological and biological effects should be directed by
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2–3 group leaders. The united program would meet the criteria of critical
mass for competitive, high performance and cutting edge research.
Two larger research programs in the Division of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine would also increase the capacity to implement
and further develop demanding technologies of large scale like mass
spectrometry, spectroscopy and bioinformatics.
Increased interactions with other departments at Lund University in
particular in relation to cancer, respiratory diseases and reproduction are
encouraged. This would enable interaction between medical researchers
with different expertise to come together and increase their collaborations.
2.6.9 Scoring:
Epidemiology and environmental Medicine: Excellent
Airway disorders:
Excellent
Environmental analytical chemistry: Excellent
Ergonomics:
Insufficient
Behavioural medicine:
Insufficient
2.7 Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology
2.7.1 Organization
The Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Laboratory
Medicine, Lund is the smallest of the six Divisions. According to the
home page the division has a staff of 4 researchers in 2008 including one
professor, who are principal investigator and 3 researchers at postdoc level
and above.
According to the Evaluation material the Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology
is a unique unit within the Department of Laboratory Medicine,
based on a research group structure, with one central administrative unit
at The University Hospital in Lund (~3 people on a daily basis), with
clinical researchers in psychiatry at St. Lars Hospital in Lund (~6 researchers
in total) and at The University Hospital in Malmö (2 researchers),
plus the 20% contribution of an adjunct researcher from Astra Zenica in
Mölndal. There is no information available on PhD students and other
personnel working in the division.
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2.7.2 Research activities
The research activities in the Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology are
focused on Psychiatric risk research: Risk factors for psychosis and their importance
for treatment and prevention. The purpose of the research program
is to investigate 1) what role selected early life factors (e.g. genetic influence,
perinatal trauma, congenital malformation, early infection, maternal
distress, etc) play in the etiology of different psychoses, 2) how such etiological
factors influence the premorbid and adult characteristics of psychosis
patients, 3) what factors provide protection against the development of
psychosis in high-risk individuals/conditions, and 4) whether augmental
anti−viral treatment of psychosis effectively improves mental health.
The studies have been conducted for the past 35 years including clinical,
prospective, retrospective, and register-based research of the evidence of
neuro-developmental deviation in psychosis and the multitude of genetic
and early and later environmental factors that influence this development.
The program uses ”triangulation”, with strategic overlapping of research
questions, hypotheses and methods over eight major research projects,
investigating genetic high-risk and normal risk cohorts, comprehensive
urban psychosis samples, representative patient samples, large register
based anonymous patient samples from four countries and patient
samples given a new directed etiologically based treatment. Extensive
international research collaboration and funding exists.
2.7.3 Researchers
The report in the main document of the evaluation material lists the 2
most successful researchers in the Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology:
Principal investigator, department Head Thomas McNeil and docent Elizabeth
Cantor-Graae, which are well-known international class experts
in their specialty areas (based on grants, invitations and awards). Thomas
McNeil received the David Ingvar Prize in Clinical Neurosciences from
the Swedish Läkarsällskapet 2005 and the adjunct clinical professorship
in Perth 2007, in recognition of his work.
2.7.4 Interactions with other research groups at Lund University
The Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology has active collaboration with
image analysis researchers at the Technical school at Lund University in
developing MRI analysis methods (brain and cranial analysis). Furthermore,
the Division interacts with clinical researchers in psychiatry at St.
Lars Hospital in Lund and at the University Hospital in Malmö.
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2.7.5 Technologies
The Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology has not applied specific technologies
in their own laboratories, but is developing techniques like MRI
analysis with other institutions.
2.7.6 Evaluation
The research at the Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology has high quality,
is internationally recognized and has innovative power. In general,
the principal investigators are leading scientists in their field varying
international reputation. The scientific productivity of the principal
investigator and other researchers is moderate as documented by the
number of original publications of 39 in the period of 1998–2007 by the
principal investigator. All research areas are relevant in terms of scientific,
social and socioeconomic significance. The research projects have
actuality. The vitality and ability to manage research is well documented.
Translational strength of the research is documented by the nature of the
individual projects and the interactions with other departments at Lund
University and elsewhere.
2.7.7 Criticism
The Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology is small with 1 principal
investigator and 3 researchers at post doc level. On an international level
this group does not have the critical mass for competitive, high performance
and cutting edge research.
The research profile of the Division is thin with narrow focus and purpose.
The claim in the Evaluation material that “the program represents
a multifaceted, integrated and partially unique approach to the study
of the nature and importance of a range of early life influences in the
development of schizophrenia and related psychoses” is not documented
by the publications over the past 10 years. The publications are limited
to four areas of epidemiological research on 1) cranial dysmorphology, 2)
neurological abnormalities, 3) obstetric and perinatal complications, and
4) immigration and the risk for development of schizophrenia.
The methodological approaches are characterized by traditional epidemiological
methods and small-scale analysis. There is no capacity for the small
Division to implement and conduct epidemiological studies of large scale.
The research organization of the Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology is
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not clear. First, it is not clear why the Division is part of The Department
of Laboratory Medicine, Lund. It has nothing in common and no scientific
relation with the other Divisions. Only the Division of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine conducts epidemiology research. Second,
the role of the clinical researchers at St. Lars Hospital, Lund and University
Hospital in Malmö are not clear.
The four areas of research on 1) cranial dysmorphology, 2) neurological
abnormalities, 3) obstetric and perinatal complications, and 4) immigration
are not well connected and integrated.
2.7.8 Recommendation
The Division of Psychiatric Epidemiology should reform the organization
and merge with other psychiatry research groups at Lund University in order
to increase synergy, interaction and collaboration in the field of psychiatry.
The size of the research group should be increased from 4 researchers to
>10 researchers with 1 principal investigator. This would meet the criteria of
critical mass for competitive, high performance and cutting edge research.
The research profile should be evaluated and focus on the study of the
nature and importance of neuro-developmental deviation in psychosis.
Research topics could be genetic and early and later environmental
factors that influence the development of schizophrenia and related
psychoses. The research projects should be interconnected and carefully
selected in order to increase synergy and interaction between researchers
in the Division.
Score: Very good
3. Department of Laboratory Medicine Malmö
3.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Laboratory Medicine in Malmö gives an overall impression
of a dynamic milieu well suited for translational research. The Department
is strongly research oriented. This is reflected by the fact that 75 % of
the total budget comes from external funding to different research projects.
The research at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö holds
a high quality, is internationally competitive and has innovative power.
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Many of the PIs are internationally recognized scientists in their field.
Several of the PIs are in their most creative age. The scientific productivity
by the PIs is high as documented by the number of original publications
in the last 5–10 years. The research areas under investigation are relevant
in terms of scientific, social and socioeconomic significance. The vitality
and ability to manage research is difficult to evaluate from the material.
Translational strength of the research is documented by the nature of
some projects and the interactions with the Departments of Clinical Sciences
at the Faculty. The double affiliation of the PIs both to the academic
and to the hospital Microbiology Pathology and Clinical chemistry
provides a good platform for pursuing translational research.
3.2 Research infrastructure
The Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö is the smallest of the
six departments that constitute the Medical Faculty at Lund University.
The department has a total staff of 88 persons in 2007. These include
29 professors and researchers, 35 PhD students and 24 other personnel
working in 12 defined research groups according to the Departmental
report in the main document of the evaluation material.
A board that suggests a Chair, which is appointed by the Dean, directs
the department. The department is characterized by a flat organisation,
meaning that the individual research groups are directly organised under
the Chair and lack a formal subdivision into distinct sections. This
organisation is cost-beneficial and makes it easier for young scientists to
start up their own research group within the department.
The Organization chart for the Laboratoriemedicin on the Malmö
campus is divided into twelve (12) Divisions/Sections (D/S) while the information
provided with detailed information lists fourteen (14) D/S. The
list of PIs contains 19 scientists. It seems that the research groups have
been formed over the years with no clear plan and purpose depending
on the presence of successful and productive researchers. They originated
probably in the 3 clinical laboratories: Biochemistry, Microbiology and
Pathology at the Malmö Hospital and have now proliferated into 19
individual research groups.
The strategy for external funding adopted by the Swedish Research
Council and the system of academic promotion excreted by the Faculty
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may offer an explanation to the emergence of numerous small research
groups in Malmö.
The newly opened CRC in Malmö provides an excellent environment for
conducting successful translational research. The Department of Laboratory
Medicine, Malmö has developed a “Tissue Micro-Array” centre
that was initiated by Professor Göran Landberg with the support of the
Swegene consortium. This unit is now run by associate professor Karin
Jirström, who has established a close collaboration with the Human
Protein consortium at Uppsala University and KTH in Stockholm.
Professor Joakim Dillner is a national and international authority in bio
banking and has made a major effort in organising and making these
materials easily accessible to all interested scientists
3.3 Research quality
The report in the main document of the evaluation material lists the 4
most successful researchers in the Department of Laboratory Medicine,
Malmö: Anna Blom working on inhibitors of human complement
system; Björn Dahlbäck studying the regulation of blood coagulation
and endothelial cell functions by the anticoagulant protein C and
Gas6-Axl pathways as well as structure-function of a novel apolipoprotein
ApoM; Joakim Dillner working on the importance of virus
infections in the etiology of cancer; Göran Landberg studying multiple
functions for cell cycle regulators and associated pathways in cancer as
well as therapeutic targets for improved efficiency of endocrine treatments
in breast cancer.
These four principal investigators are internationally recognized for their
scientific discoveries and impact in their respective research areas. Their
research is overall characterized by originality, high quality, productivity
and impact. Their contributions have resulted in international recognition
of the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö.
In particular the Dahlbäck group is very well known and is worldwide
regarded on of the leading groups in its field. The activity, which was
extremely high ten years ago, has levelled out, but the group still produces
research of excellent quality.
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The other 15 PIs at Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö are
characterized by originality, very good quality, productivity and impact in
their research
3.4 Collaboration
The Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö is steadily interacting
with the Department of Clinical Sciences at Malmö University Hospital.
There are plans to join the administrative offices to increase the effectiveness
and reduce the costs for the administration. Apart from this the
Department has no direct interaction with other departments.
The interaction with researchers in other departments and institutions at
Lund University is claimed to be “numerous” in the main document of
the evaluation material. However, there is no documentation or examples
of these interactions.
3.5 Research activities
The research activities at the Department of Laboratory Medicine,
Malmö are primarily related to two main areas: cancer and infection/
inflammation. A closer look at the research activities reveals that nine of
the D/Ss are involved in what could be defined as general tumor biology/
oncologic pathology. These include the D/S of Experimental Pathology
(PI: Tommy Andersson), D/S of Tumor Biology (PI: Pirkko Härkönen),
D/S of Pathology (PI: Göran Landberg), D/S of Molecular Medicine (PI:
Sven Påhlman) D/S of Tumor Cell Biology (PI: Christer Larsson), D/S
of Molecular Tumor Biology (PI: Håkan Axelson), D/S of Experimental
Clinical Chemistry (PI: Lars Rönnstrand), D/S of Cell Pathology (PI:
Anita Sjölander) and D/S of Experimental Cancer Research (PI: Jenny
Liao Persson).
The cancer area covers a number of topics including tumour invasion and
metastasis, Wnt and Notch signalling, specific inflammatory mediators,
cell cycle regulation, growth factor receptor signalling, genes expression
in tumor cells due to low oxygenation and/or reduced nutrient supply,
importance of virus infections in the etiology of cancer, preventive HPV
testing and HPV vaccination, and inflammatory conditions such as
ulcerative colitis leading to cancer.
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The infection/inflammation area has focus on the complement system,
development of complement inhibitors, structure-function relationship
of coagulation factor V, activated protein C, protein S, role of a novel
apolipoprotein ApoM, regulation of blood coagulation and endothelial
cell functions by the anticoagulant protein C and Gas6-Axl pathways,
and Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis affinity for
soluble human IgD.
It is emphasized that there is no strict division between these two research
areas: cancer and infection/inflammation since several scientists involved
in infection/inflammation are also performing cancer research and
scientist that are primarily working with cancer have published important
papers in the area of inflammation. Furthermore, several scientists in the
two fields have collaborated and published papers in both research areas.
Finally, one research project relates to inflammation-induced cancer.
3.6 Criticism and evaluation of future plans
The research groups of the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö
are small with one principal investigator surrounded by 1-3 post docs and
1–3 PhD students giving a total of 3–7 researchers in each group. On an
international level these groups do not have the critical mass for competitive,
high performance and cutting edge research. The research profile of some
groups is thin with narrow focus and purpose. The methodological approaches
are characterized by traditional methods, small-scale analysis and
limited equipment. There is no capacity for the single group to implement
and develop new demanding technologies of large scale. Many of the PIs
do not have a medical background, which at its worst can restrain efficient
clinical contacts that are a prerequisite for fruitful translational research.
The two main areas of research: cancer and infection/inflammation are
not related apart from one project in the department studying the role of
virus infections in the etiology of cancer. Another important project on
the role of inflammation in malignant tumours for cancer cell growth
and metastasis is not studied in the department. Presumably, the two
research areas were initiated by successful and productive researchers in
either field and have since remained the main focus.
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3.7 Recommendations
The Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö should reform the
organization and reduce the number of small independent research
groups. In particular the nine groups /Sections listed above that all are
investigating a common theme of general tumor biology could merge
into a larger unit. The size of the research groups should be increased
from 3–7 researchers in each group to >10 researchers with one principal
investigator. This would meet the criteria of critical mass for competitive,
high performance and cutting edge research.
The research profile each group should be broader and encompass several
projects. The projects could be coordinated, and benefit from development
of new methods. This would increase the capacity for each group to
implement and develop new demanding technologies.
The material provided for evaluation does not contain any information
on Molecular Pathology, an internationally rapidly evolving field. With
only superficial insights into the research activities at the Department
of Pathology in Lund, a close collaboration or even a unification of the
academic Pathology in Malmö and Lund is strongly recommended. A
special emphasis should be put in Molecular Pathology that not only is an
expanding field of research but also provides core facility service to both
basic and clinical research. The creation of a strong group of Molecular
Pathology may, however, imply strategic new recruitments.
The two main areas of research: cancer and infection/inflammation
should be separated and form two independent divisions within the
Department of Medicine, Malmö. Alternatively, the research groups
on infection/inflammation could be merged with other groups in the
Laboratory of Medicine in Lund like Division of Medical Microbiology.
Increased interactions with other Departments at Lund University in particular
in relation to cancer and infection/inflammation are encouraged.
A good example of this occurs in the “Research School of Pharmaceutical
Sciences” in which the Technical Faculty and the Faculties of Medicine
and Natural Sciences join forces.
Score: Very good – Excellent
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4. Stem Cell Center Lund
4.1 Overall assessment and infrastructure
The Stem Cell Center was initiated approximately 6 years ago. It was
directed until recently by Prof Sten Eirik Jacobsen an established investigator
in the field of hematopoietic stem cells. Since the departure of
Prof Jacobsen, Dr. Henrik Semb was appointed as interim director. Prof.
Semb is an established investigator in beta cell biology and differentiation
of embryonic stem cells (ESC) to beta cells.
The Stem Cell Center is comprised of a number of well established
basic researchers, a number of young promising scientists, and a smaller
number of investigators in translational research with appointments both
in the Faculty and the University Hospital, encompassing the fields of
hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), hematopoietic and neural cancer stem
cells (CSC), neural stem cells and neurobiology (NSC) and developmental
biology. In addition, a program exists in functional genomics and
computational biology, which also serves as a core facility to the larger
University Community. Core facilities are also present within the Center
for FACS, genetic mouse models and gene transfer are present. Among
the faculty are 7 full professors, 8 researchers and 2 senior lecturers.
The Center has done extremely well during the first period of its existence,
with
1. recruitment of a number of outstanding young investigators in the
different subprograms, both by international searches and from
within the own ranks
2. very significant external funding (50,600 MSEK in 2007) has been
obtained, of which more than 42,000 MSEK in external grant
funding. This includes funding as one of the 10 CoEs in Sweden and
organization (?)/ and 5,000 MSEK from participation in European
funding schemes; In addition the Center was awarded a Linne award
3. scientists within the Center have published cutting edge science
in outstanding journals, 6 of which in journals with IF of >20 in a
number of the programs; and a large number of papers in journals
with IF>10
4. 54 PhD students are in training at the institute.
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4.2 Review of the four main programs
divided based on publication records obtained, not according to the
programs as described in the description of the Center.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Regulation, and Gene Transfer Program:
The hematopoietic stem cell program has produced numerous publications
in journals with IF>20. These publications represent very important contributions
to the field of HSC biology. Somewhat concerning in view of the
departure of one of the senior scientist is that the publication record of the
more junior faculty members independent of their postdoc mentor, whether
at the Center or abroad is relatively weak, and it is not obvious that the line
of high quality, cutting edge science will be continued in the absence of the
departed senior scientist. However, many of the junior faculty members
have only been recruited recently, which may explain the relatively low
number of independent publications. In addition, it appears customary that
the mentor is included on papers in the Swedish system. It will, however, be
important that other senior faculty at the Center take on a mentoring role
for the different junior assistant professors and researchers.
Score: Outstanding
The program in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Publications
from the group encompass a number of publications in IF>10 journals
even though some of these papers are reports from working groups in
Sweden or in Europe, wherein investigators from the Lund Stem Cell
Center partake. In view of the future goals of the Center to emphasize
translational science, this part of the HSC program is very important to
the Center and should perhaps be strengthened further. Although the
publication record suggests some interactions between the clinical and
basic biology program in HSC, chiefly due to the fact that some of the
junior investigators recruited to the Center have a dual appointment, it
is clear from the literature list provided that these programs will need
to collaborate more closely to accomplish the translational goals (home
grown therapies applied in the clinic).
Score: Good – Excellent
Related to the HSC program is the Gene transfer and therapy program.
This is a program comprising one senior and several more junior investigators
(assistant, associate professors and researchers), many of whom publish
in IF>10 journals. Although the fact that many of the publications
are co-authored by multiple members of this subprogram might suggest
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that interactions between members of this group is good, the inclusion of
the senior investigator/mentor on most manuscripts raises some concern
as to the independence of the junior investigators. However, as was true
for HSC biology, many of the junior faculty have only been recruited/appointed
recently and only recently developed an own laboratory.
Score: Excellent to outstanding
Neurobiology and Neural Stem Cell Program
The neurobiology and neural stem cell program are headed by three
very strong senior investigators who have accomplished translation of
neurobiology insights in preclinical and clinical practice in the areas of
Parkinson and are developing a similar line of research, more recently,
in the area of stroke. In the field of Parkinson they have been the leaders
in the field as well as in a number of other areas of basic neural stem cell
biology. Aside from the two senior investigators a number of more junior
investigators partake in this program, some of who also have an excellent
publication record. Although there are very strong connections with some
of the investigators in the developmental biology program, interactions
with the HSC program are less obvious.
Score: Outstanding
Developmental Biology and Human Embryonic Stem Cells
in Diabetes Etiology and Therapy
The developmental biology group includes investigators throughout the
HSC and NSC programs, with in addition investigators using model
organisms such as the fly and xenopus, and embryonic stem cells. The
investigators in model organisms have an outstanding publication record
and have contributed significantly to the field.
The investigators in ESC biology and pancreatic differentiation have a
good publication record, even though the impact of studies by this group
in this highly competitive field is felt to be lower.
Functional genomics
Although this area is not listed as one of the programs in the description
of the Center, the literature list obtained identifies this as a separate
group. It is obvious, that the investigators in this area go across the different
programs in the Center, and also collaborate with many investigators
in other areas of the University of Lund and internationally.
Score: Good to excellent.
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Cancer Stem cell Program
No separate description is provided for this program. Review of the
publications provided it is obvious that throughout the HSC and NSC
programs, as well as in the area of functional genomics, significant effort
is placed in study of cancer stem cells, in the areas of leukemia, CNS
cancer and breast cancer. A number of excellent to outstanding senior and
young investigators are involved in this research line.
4.3 Strategic planning
The Center has excelled in the development of basic research lines in
HSC and NSC biology, cancer stem cells and to a lesser degree developmental
biology.
The Center plans to continue to build on the existing programs that
are focused chiefly on basic science, and develop the Center to include
translational research. They identify five areas wherein development of
basic-translational research is planned. The areas identified are of great
basic science interest to the Center and the field in general, and have
obviously even greater clinical impact significance. This was apparently
also strongly supported by the EAB to the Center.
a. The area of hematopoiesis and cancer stem cells, in particular in the
area of leukemia, are a logical extension from the studies that are
currently ongoing in the labs of the basic biologists, and the existing
strengths in more clinical research.
b. During discussions with the department head, it became clear that the
move to include more translational research in neurobiology, is well
reasoned, and well planned, and should become possible due to the
fact that clinicians have been enthused regarding the idea, and some
of the junior as well as more senior faculty have been able to exploit
the Linne funds to have a direct clinical link. Moreover, European
funding was also secured in this area.
c. The area of cardiovascular research is to some extent new to the
Center, even though one of the members of the hematopoietic stem
cell program has been active in the area. Offline discussions have
indicated that European funding has been secured in this area to
allow indeed the development of this line of research.
d. Although work is being done in the area of beta cell differentiation
from embryonic stem cells, only two investigators are listed in this
area. Moreover, the move to clinical application of stem cell research
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in this area will require significantly more time than the translational
aspects of neurobiology as well as in the cardiovascular area. Nevertheless,
the faculty of laboratory medicine, especially in Malmö,
in endocrinology and specifically diabetes research is very strong,
and this should allow the link-up between the stem cell Center and
translational aspects of diabetes research in this area.
Despite what is discussed above, this plan will require significant adjustments
from the investigators both in the Center and the clinical faculty:
a. Unclear at the time of the review was what the strengths are of the
clinicians in the university hospital in these areas, in particular in
innovative therapies for cardiovascular disorders and in the area of
diabetes therapy.
b. What resources are available for the very significant investments that
will be needed to be competitive in all these areas.
c. As it is likely that specific faculty recruitments will be needed to fulfill
this mission, what resources and space resources are available for
recruitments.
d. Are local resources available to develop clinical trials (such as statistics
support, trial nurse support, support as it relates to regulatory issues
from the EU and EMEA).
e. Are local resources available to fund clinical trials, and / or what
additional outside funding can be obtained in these areas.
4.4 Challenges
a. One of the challenges that appear to be facing the Center became
clear via discussions with the Department heads. The Center was funded
via an independent line of funds from the Swedish government,
which ends at the end of 2008. From the description it is clear that
the Center has been financially independent, bringing in more than
sufficient funds to cover all expenses. It appears that negotiations are
ongoing to now include the Center in the Department of Laboratory
Medicine, where it would maintain its independence, but the Faculty
of Medicine would cover the administrative costs.
b. A second challenge as it relates to the development of translational
research in stem cell biology, has been elaborated upon in the previous
section.
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c. A third obvious challenge is the departure of the director, Dr Sten
Eirik Jacobsen in 2008. From discussions with the department heads,
it became clear that an interim director was currently in place, but
that significant effort will be put into determining who should be
the future leader of this Center. This will also include advise from
the EAB appointed to the Center. It was less clear from discussions
with the Faculty leaders, whether Dr Jacobsen would be replaced
with an internal candidate or whether resources could be put together
to recruit an outside candidate, to continue to build one of the very
outstanding 6-7 year old programs at Lund University, at a time where
many other Universities are just starting to develop such programs,
and at a time where it is becoming clear that results from basic stem
cell research will likely affect clinical medicine in the not too far a
future.
d. Other external reviews have identified a number of possible
weaknesses/challenges.
• Mouse Genetics and Mouse Transgenic facility
• Molecular Biology and Developmental Biology: It has been
pointed out through external evaluations as well as by our SAB,
that not only our program, but the faculty in general must
strengthen its expertise in molecular biology and developmental
biology.
• Lack of funding of Ph.D. students
• Lack of a clear and competitive structure for career development
• ALF system for funding of translational research
• Commitments to Translational Recruitments
• Lack of external evaluation of research at the faculty
Based on the information given in the material provided for evaluation,
these are more difficult to assess, but should obviously be addressed.
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PANEL 11 – MEDICINE | HEALTH SCIENCES
CONTENTS
1. Overall assessment..................................................................................... 299
2. Research infrastructure...............................................................................301
3. Research quality........................................................................................ 303
4. Collaboration.............................................................................................314
5. Research activity and teaching....................................................................315
6. Evaluation of future plans and potentials and possibilities............................316
7. Gender and equal opportunity issues..........................................................319
1. Overall assessment
The Department of Health Sciences was transformed in 2005 to become
one of the six departments within the medical faculty. Its organizational
form is complex, being composed of 6 divisions each consisting of one
or more research groups. In addition there are four educational groups
which started in 2005–2007, and four formal research centres hosted by
the Department. The Department carries out comprehensive research
and teaching activity, and is seen as an important site for research and
education in these subjects in Sweden. There are 1200 full-time students
enrolled in six programmes leading to professional and BSc/MSC/Master
degrees within medicine, midwifery, nursing, radiography, occupational
therapy, and physiotherapy.
A significant decline in staff members has occured during the period of
assessment (2003–2007) from 293 (FTE 213) to 218 (FTE 158). This
includes a reduction in the number of doctoral students paid by the
university from 28 FTE to 14 FTE, which causes some concern even
though the total number of registered doctoral students was 67 in 2007.
However, the number of doctoral examinations increased from 47 in
1998–2002 to 67 in 2003–2007, which is a sign of increased research
activity. The strong PhD programme is also recognized as an important
resource for the strengthening of research in the future.
The number of academic staff remained stable over the assessment period,
being 62 (47 FTE) in 2007 (62 % women, mean age 53), although not
all staff were permanently employed. The description of the size of the
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different research groups represents the distribution of the staff of the
department; the actual size of the research groups is often significantly
larger when their extensive collaboration is considered. The low proportion
of professors (3 out of 13) funded from the university budget is of
particular concern, especially when the current budget deficit of about 50
MSEK at the medical faculty may reduce the prospect of stengthening
the professoriat in the near future.
The department has also experienced significant financial contraction from
the total revenue of 174 MSEK in 2003 to 136 MSEK in 2007 including
income decline in both teaching and research. The proportion of external
funding was about one third of the total income, which is lower than average
(about 50 %) in the medical faculty. The supplementary income form
the Vårdal Institute was about 30 MSEK during the assessment period.
(The overall yearly funding from the Vårdal Institute for Lund University
Medical Faculty has been about 23 MSEK). Nevertheless in 2007 there
were on average about 4 articles in refereed journals per year/FTE number
of academic staff, showing a strong record of productivity.
The Department of Health Sciences is a place where dynamic research
is taking place across many diverse but often neglected areas, but which
are of vital concern to a healthy society. Some of the areas are relatively
new to science. Work of the department includes studies across the life
span, from perinatal science to the palliative care of the very old. Major
research topics include family support for children, interventions for drug
dependence, mental health (including occupational patterns), physical
rehabilitation, exercise and activities for public health, health of older
people, aetiology of dementia, and environmental studies into sustaining
older people in their own homes and neighbourhoods.
The quality of the research is mostly very good. Given the great diversity
in the research areas the evaluations reflect quality in the international
context rather than between the different research areas. Amongst the
ten established research areas the Panel has identified several areas with
very strong potential for the future (if the department deals successfully
with staff age and career stage profiles and retirement policies). This is a
considerable achievement when many of the divisions are relatively new
to university level work, coming out of hospital-based healthcare practice.
The department has had to invest heavily in developing the research
culture in these allied health subjects while at the same time building
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new sustainable educational programmes, which themselves have the additional
demands of preparing graduates for professional practice. These
programmes have recently been appraised as very high quality, not a
common achievement in departments which have had to simultaneously
build up their research infrastructure.
The productivity is fair, and certainly compares very favourably with similar
departments throughout Europe, however the department still has some
way to go to bring some of their research to the international level. The
base platform has now been built, paving the way for increased publication
rates and more external research grants. There are obvious concerns such as
reduced numbers of FTE- research students in recent years, and the need to
limit expansion through enhanced departmental management.
The panel thought that there are too many research areas, and the
department is advised to create a more coherent strategy for the future
with even more collaboration. However, collaboration is already at an
unusually high level. The gender balance is the opposite to the usual, with
women predominating, due to the nature of the gender balance of the
professions represented in the department. This provides an opportunity
for the university to demonstrate that it can develop policies specifically
to support females to reach and sustain their academic potential.
The broad visions and strategies for the future at the medical faculty level
have been described in two recent documents. The submission from the
head of the department maps the current situation and also presents ideas
about and approaches for strengthening the research capacity, paving the
way for new research initiatives. Specific plans for future research were
however not presented. The description of the total research profile of the
department is repeated in the description of the most successful research
areas with the strongest national or international impact, which suggests
that the management is finding it difficult to compare the different
research areas and to make decisions about its priorities.
2. Research infrastructure
The submission describes research work at the department within ten
established research areas led by principal investigators who represent different
disciplines. The logic of placing different disciplines present in the
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medical faculty under the umbrella of health sciences was not clear to the
Panel. It seems that there have been personal, historical, institutional and
teaching related preferences rather than strategic planning, in choosing
the intellectual and physical environments.for different disciplines within
both the medical faculty and the divisions within this department. The
core disciplines, i.e. nursing and caring sciences, occupational therapy and
physiotherapy represent those health professions which worldwide have
only rather recently attained academic status. Thus the department has
had to invest considerable energy into building the research infrastructure
in these subjects, which created many challenges to the development of
research and education programmes in collaboration with other disciplines
such as gerontology, mental health and health economics.
The development of different research areas seems to have resulted from a
bottom-up approach, where a professor or a senior researcher creates a research
group around him/her. This was confirmed in the discussions with
the researchers during the site visit. While the panel members symphathise
with this approach, and realizes that this process is similar in many other
universities, they also raised questions regarding, for example, the need for
3 different research areas focusing on elderly people. It can also be argued
that the bottom-up approach is leading to numerous small research groups
with an insufficient capacity to implementing large research programmes.
The establishment of the research centres on the other hand places the
department in a position enabling them to counteract these disadvantages
by promoting interdisciplinary, multiprofessional and translational
research and initiaiting research through a top-down approach. Of the
existing four sentres CASE (Centre for Aging and Supportive Environments,
one of two national centres of excellence for research on ageing)
has received funding for the coming 10 years and has a great potential
to develop a successful new research culture on an interdiciplinary
basis. The other centre CEPI (Centre for Evidence Based Psychosocial
Interventions) has gained funding for the next 5 years and also has the
potential to carry on important research work in its research field depending,
however, on what the overall development in the area of mental
health research will be. Within physiotherapy the MOVE-platform also
strengthens resources for future research.
It is obvious that concentrating more activities in the House of Care
Sciences in Lund (Vårdvetenskapens Hus) would further facilitate
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communication and collaboration between the different disciplines
and research areas. The decision of the county Region Skåne to create a
Regional Geriatric Centre and a Primary Health Centre will strengthen
the preconditions for translational and clinical research. The establishment
of an institutional board from January 1, 2008 facilitates decision
making related to initiatives aimed at strengthening the research infrastructure,
and is seen by the Panel as an excellent initiative.
The ongoing generation shift creates a substantial challenge to the sustainability
of the attained research strength, and the low number of senior
researchers in many research areas is also of concern to the Panel. However
this situation provides an ideal opportunity for further reorganization
of research work into more streamlined groups and concentration of
research into fewer foci, which from an outsiders´ perspective, is needed.
3. Research quality
In summarizing the Panels´s observations it has become very clear that
the research carried out in the Department of Health Sciences has already
contributed and has great potential to contribute in the future at the
national and international level to the advancement of knowledge and its
application into social practice in its research fields. This is demonstrated
by the theoretically and methodologically solid level of research in several
areas and by the many examples of successful translational research.
The evaluations of the different research areas revealed great variability
and therefore the gradings range from poor to very good or approaching
excellent in several research areas, indicating research of high quality
which attracts significant national and also international attention.
Therefore it is difficult to generalize the grading of research quality for the
department as a whole. The productivity of the research is at a high level
when related to the number of staff in different research areas or when
compared with corresponding institutes in Sweden or in other countries.
The Panel observed many innovative approaches regarding the development
of new research cultures on an interdisciplinary basis.
3.1 Health care of women and children
This research area ranges from preterm birth and illness in childhood to
studies with adults who became ill when they were children.
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Quality. There are two main fields in this area, a) Reproductive and perinatal
care and b) Child health and family care, closely connected with each
other. The first focuses on parents’ experiences of care during pregnancy,
childbirth and postnatal care both in normal and abnormal situations as
well as research related to parents’ autonomy and decision making. The
research in experience of ultrasound during pregnancy is particularly
successful. The second focuses on the health of children and young people.
The research around caring for children with long-term illness at hospital
and at home is of high quality. Methodologically, in this area they also use
randomised controlled trials, having special importance to nursing research
and health sciences. They publish in international high impact journals,
educate new researchers and have earned research funding.
Productivity. Papers are of good quality. The numbers of publications in
2000s seem to be 4–7/year/PI and 2–3/year/others, indicating continuous
outcomes of research. The external funding amounted to 6.9 MSEK
during the assessement period. There are currently 1 professor, 2 senior
researchers, 7 junior researchers, 10 PhD students and 2 other employees.
Relevance. This research area is relevant from the international perspective
and it also has translational impact in the paediatric clinical practice. This
area has discovered some important aspects in the care of children and it
makes a clear contribution both nationally in Sweden and internationally.
Vitality and organisational capacity. This area is organised in two main
fields, both having a clear structure. They attract PhD-students, they
have research seminars and active collaboration with hospitals, other
professionals and other Swedish and international universities.
Overall grading: Very good
3.2 Mental Health
The sub-unit has a clear focus on serious mental health problems and all
its research concerns this area. Collaboration within the national centre
CEPI (Centre for Evidence Based Psaychosocial Interventions) is thought
to be the most promising future activity.
Quality. There are a number of high quality publications in each of
recent years and evidence of collaboration in an international research
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group, stimulated by a highly esteemed international researcher. Other
work by the group concerns stigma, quality of life and case management
and is evidenced by recent high quality inter-disciplinary publications.
Methodologically, the group do not provide evidence of carrying out
independent randomised clinical trials.
Productivity. The number of staff is 6–7 (1 prof., 2 senior researchers,
1 junior researcher, 2–3 PhD students, 1 other employee). The external
funding was 18,2 MSEK during 2003-2007 inlcuding CEPI. Unfortunatley,
the number of publications in this area is not readily available,
suggesting that the unit needs to make its achievements more apparent to
the outside world.
Relevance. The work of the sub-unit is relevant to mental health research
for people with severe mental illness such as psychoses. Research in this
area has been of great prospect nationally and internationally and has a
mature international evidence base. The follow up of case management
for this group is important. However, in the 21st century there is more
concern internationally for high-prevalence mental disorders and the
group has no work in this area. The research seems to reflect the interests
of the leading workers in the sub-unit rather that the current international
concerns.
Vitality and organisational capacity. Considerable resources are now
available for CEPI but how this will be utilised is unclear. The objectives
of CEPI appear more translational with a focus on the implementation
and dissemination of evidence based practice. Whilst this is an extremely
important activity it may not enhance the research aims of the
department, which are to conduct more high quality clinical randomised
controlled trials. CEPI’s focus on implementation may distract key
researchers from conducting more trials, although it may provide a basis
for translational observational research.
Overall grading: Good/Insufficient
3.3. Disability and Rehabilitation
The studies of the group have focussed on disability and working life and
employment, and several research programmes are established in vocational
rehabilitation and work participation.
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Quality. The quality of researsch in this area is difficult to evaluate
because only a few papers are published and in Swedish.
Productivity. The PI has been actively involved in leading international
organizations in the field (e.g. Rehabilitation International), is a member
of the board of GLADNET (Global Applied Disability Research and
Information Network on Employment and Training) and coordinator
for the Swedish network of researchers in this field. There is collaboration
within HAREC.(Centre for Handicap and Rehabilitation). The external
funding including HAREC amounted to a significant sum of 24,6
MSEK during the assessment period. The group consists of 3 persons; 1
prof., 1 PhD student, 1 other employee.
Relevance. This research area is very socially important, considering the
growing number of people throughout the world living with chronic
disabilities (at least 15% in Western countries, many more in poorer societies).
There is increasing need for evidence-based knowledge regarding
prevention of disability, maintenance and restoration of functional ability
and quality of life among disabled people.
Vitality and organisational capacity. There are plans to include HAREC
and the research within the disability area into the disability platform
after the present PI retires and transform it to a disability platform with
the aim of strengthening research in this area.
Overall grading: Insufficient regarding quality at an international level.
3.4 Drug dependence
The studies in this area, including RCT’s, focus on the long-term progress
of alcohol and drug dependence and the development of better intervention
and treatment methods,.
Quality. The sub-unit is highly focussed and provides good evidence
of clear thinking across different methodologies to provide evidence
for the effects of alcohol and treating alcohol problems. They use state
of the art health services research methods to develop and test their
interventions. They collaborate with health economics to test economic
effects. Many of their published papers are in international journals of
high standing.
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Productivity. The group produces high quality papers, and in high
numbers. Funding has been in the mid range or at the higher end of the
department’s share of external funding (22,4 MSEK during the assessment
period. The papers and other outputs suggest a very productive
group. The leading researcher has published many articles including 11
papers in 2007 demonstrating high productivity but the unique contribution
of other members of the group which consists of about 11 persons
(1 prof., 3 senior researchers, 3 junior researchers and 3 doctoral students
and 3 other employees) is unclear from the information given.
Relevance. The work is highly relevant to social concerns in modern
society. Addictions or overuse of alcohol cause severe health and social
difficulties and this group have targeted at-risk groups for successful
interventions.
Vitality and organisational capacity. The long-term prospects of this
group is threatened by the imminent retirement of the lead professor.
This however is also an opportunity to recruit a new Chair from the
international arena.
Overall grading: Excellent
3.5 Health Economics
(Forensic Medicine is also included in this research area)
Quality. The sub-unit mainly provides health economics expertise to
other researchers undertaking empirical investigations, including randomised
clinical trials. There is a great deal of good quality work supporting
the alcohol team. The submission makes claims for international leading
edge contributions to health economics science but this is not supported
by evidence (for example there are no publications associated with the
EuroQol/EQ5D despite claims in the submission). There are, however,
a small number of high quality publications around the human capital
model which support the submission.
Productivity. The group produce some high quality papers themselves
and are included in other papers produced by research teams as collaborators,
a situation common to health economics researchers. As
such they are productive. Eight refereed papers were published in 2007
which shows good productivity in relation to the size of the basic group
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consisting of 5 persons (1 prof., 1 junior researcher, 3 PhD students).
The group are attracting reasonable sums of funding (15,2 MSEK during
2003–07).
Relevance. Some work is relevant but the major theoretical developments
are on the interesting fringes of health economics, rather than being at
the centre of modern techniques. These new developments seem to reflect
the speciality of the leading researcher and are important but unlikely to
lead to Lund being placed in the centre of mainstreamheath economics
developments.
Vitality and organisational capacity. Health economics is an important
research area with great potential for the future and it could be used as a
link between different research areas and centres.
Overall grading: Good
Forensic Medicine. This research area does not demonstrate significant
research activity. No research group is presented and no information
is available about productivity or other aspects of activity needed for
evaluation.
Overall grading: Poor
3.6 Physiotherapy
Research focuses on 4 main areas – rehabilitation for people of all ages
with functional limitations, physiotherapy interventions and outcomes;
health promotion for society – through exercise; falls prevention in
elderly persons; and physical therapy for breast-cancer arm lymphodema.
Some of these projects have, one year ago, been better harmonised into a
new research ‘platform’ called MOVE, which will guide the domains of
all future projects.
Quality. The output is of an international importance level in some
areas, such as the oncology research. The publications cover a very wide
range of topics, and unusually include several diverse studies focusing on
particular areas, such as the knee – knee condition after stroke, injury,
football activity, cycling, advancing age. Several studies focus on issues
of work capacity. Journals which publish the work are mainly national,
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although increasingly are higher ranking international, such as the Journal
of Bone and Joint Surgery. Methodology for these studies seem to be
mostly quantitative, usually smaller rather than large studies. There are
also some appropriate qualitative studies and an interesting feature of this
unit is its qualitative work in psychosocial aspects of physiotherapy – such
as motivation, or patient-therapist relationships, which internationally is
quite rare. As yet there are, it seems, few publications in some declared
areas of expertise, such as falls prevention.
Productivity. There is 1 professor, 2 senior researchers, 3 junior researchers
and 7 PhD students, plus 8 additional PhD students within the
MOVE platform. 35 PhDs have graduated from this research area – a
high number in comparison with such groups internationally. The
publication rate is quite high:14 articles in English in 2007. The external
funding amounted to 9.4 MSEK during the assessment period of
2003–2007.
Relevance. The research topics are holistic compared with physiotherapy
departments internationally. Relevance to today’s society is strong- eg.
health promotion, working environment, psychosomatics. Some of the
outcomes of the research have demonstrated cost benefits to society, such
as reduced sick leave. The MOVE platform has the potential to further
harmonise and focus topics in the future.
Overall grading: Very good
3.7 Occupational Therapy
This research area is placed within the Division of Occupational Therapy
and Gerontology. The occupational therapists classify their research
areas under HOW – Health, Occupation, and Wellbeing – exploring
the relationships between engaging activities and health, measuring
outcomes of interventions, and developing instruments, models and
theories. The links between the individual’s experience of occupational
dysfunction and that individual’s health and wellbeing is a particularly
strong area. This division is seen as an important national centre for
occupational therapy research.
Quality. In a relatively short time they has developed research in topics
such as occupational science to a level which compares very favourably
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with work done internationally. A lot of projects/topics described as
ongoing mostly relate to researchers’ doctoral work. The mental health
research is particularly impressive, mostly using the latest advances in
qualitative methodology. They publish in the range of highest quality
journals in this field, including medical journals. Close scrutiny of the
publications reveals that reliance on Scandinavian journals has become
much less apparent recently.
Productivity. The HOW group consists of 1 professor who is working
for 10% at the Department and 90% at another University College, 6
junior researchers and 4 doctoral students. The team has produced about
12 publications in English in 2007 which is remarkable for its size. The
publications reveal a different pattern of research topics – aspects of living
with chronic mental health problems having major impact. The external
funding amounted to 8.4 MSEK during the assessment period which,
when combined with the publication rate, signifies a productivity level
uncommonly found in occupational therapy departments in continental
Europe.
Relevance. The strong occupational science element – such as activity
patterns within different health problems - is much needed in society,
considering the rise in mental ill health. There are innovative approaches
to human occupation, such as looking at the ecological impact of how
humans carry out everyday activities. The variety of topics researched are
all relevant to today’s problems but perhaps they could become even more
focused within domains, while the theoretical developments deserve
to be more widely disseminated. The doctoral work seems to be led by
individual interests – such as hand injuries – rather than fitting within
a strand within the area, although these have the potential to turn into
bigger stands.
Overall grading: Very good
3.8 Gerontology; Ageing and Supportive Environments
This group studies environmental gerontology focusing on housing,
assisting technology, outdoor environments, public facilities, public
transport.. From 2007 the research has been conducted by an innovative
interdisciplinary group (CASE).
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Quality and productivity: The group is prolific in its output of papers
in scientific journals and the PI has listed 15 papers published in English
in 2007 in major journals of geontology and occupational therapy. The
professor heading up the CASE group is the first occupational therapist
internationally to be granted a Chair in Gerontology. Many papers have
also been published in the Scandinavian journals. The external funding is
outstanding, 35.6 MSEK during the assessment period.
Relevance: Given the burgeoning number of old and very old adults
there is the need to enable them to live safely and comfortably at home as
long as possible. The societal impact of the work of this research group is
thus very high, with international cross cultural studies being conducted
into the components of homes and neighbourhoods for elderly persons
(including the very old) which support and sustain their everyday living
activities. This can extend into town planning, transport and local
government policies. This criterion is rated as excellent.
Vitality and organizational capacity: This interdisciplinary group, in
which gerontologists, occupational therapists and engineers are working
together with experts, for example, from Gariatric and Rehabilitation
Medicine, is a very unique and promising initiative. Without any doubt
this research area has the potential to develop as an excellent center.
Overall grading: Excellent/Very good
3.9 The Elderly, Chronically Ill and Palliative Care
Quality. Despite of a fairly short history of about 10 years the unit has
been able to gain a nationally and internationally highly recognized
status in its 4 research fields, all under the canopy of ageing: care of the
elderly and the oldest old, palliative care and people living with long term
diseases. The overall picture suggests new and innovative approaches
focusing on important issues with remarkable skill and competence
particularly in the qualitative research methodology. Research on quality
of life, health complaints, and informal and formal care have emerged as
the most promising research areas.
Productivity. The number of papers recently published in high-level
international scientific journals shows high productivity regarding the
relatively small number of researchers in the group. It has been calculated
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that during 2003–2007 about 130 papers have been published in peer
reviewed scientific journals on the above-mentioned research topics, and
about 20 papers currently submitted for publication. The work of the
group can be judged to be in the frontier of research in its research field
both in Sweden and internationally. The amount of external funding
during 2003–2007 was about 16 MSEK for a research area, which in
2008 consists of two professors and two senior researchers, two junior
researchers and 7 doctoral students with 4 more PhD students currently
joining the unit.
Relevance. The results of the studies have succeeded in integrating care
and social service provided by the municipalities and the county councils
A new RCT-study testing the effects of Case Manager and integrated care
has attracted significant external funding. Another socially significant
approach focuses on the prioritization in health care. The research field
is relevant seen from the international development of the research field
and also is socially important having impact on the quality of life of old
people.
Vitality and organizational capacity. The work of the unit seems to
have been well-structured and has attracted new doctoral students to
join the group. However, the research group seems to be at present in
an important transitional phase with changes in the leadership, approaching
generation shift and some senior researchers being in the phase
of building up their research groups. In this situation it would be very
important to make a strategic plan how best sustain the achieved strong
research area and how to further strengthen it.
Overall grading: Excellent/Very good
3.10 Geriatric Medicine
Quality. Longstanding research work on cognition and ageing has
produced significant new knowledge about risk factors and pathogenic
pathways for vascular dementia and Alzheimer´s disease. The research
group has demonstrated excellent ability to conduct and publish in
international peer reviewed journals controlled clinical studies, longitudinal
studies using the data of several unique longitudinal cohorts, and
population based cohort studies. Another strong research line focuses on
nutrient-disease interactions including development of dietary assessment
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methods to be used, for example, for osteoporosis and prospective fracture
research. There are in Sweden a few strong research units in geriatric
medicine focusing partly on the same topics as geriatric medicine in Lund
(particularly Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University).
Productivity. The research group, established over 20 years ago, is
located at the Department of Community Medicine at the Medical
Research Centre in Malmö University Hospital. During the last 6 years
the unit has published about 60 papers in international scientific journals,
suggesting good productivity. The number of researchers appearing as
authors in these publications is about 50, indicating good collaboration
and very significant contribution from researchers/experts not belonging
to the small staff of geriatric medicine. Fourteen doctoral dissertations
have been completed since 1987, which means less than one per year. The
unit/division has managed to get external funding amounting to about
40 MSEK during 2003–2007.
Relevance. Given the increasing number of older adults and their numerous
health problems and need for services the research work of the unit
obviously has great social relevance, which is also reflected in the successful
applications of the results in social and health care. Most research
topics also have a high scientific relevance as judged from the perspective
of the international development of the field.
Vitality and organizational capacity. The quality of research plans and
the ability to implement plans successfully have been good.
The research profile of the unit suggests that the origin of many research
themes is related to problems where translational research is needed for
the development of services for older people. New and innovative approaches
might be obtained through a closer collaboration with the other
units and the newly formed research centres at the department working
in the near problem areas (such as CASE).
Overall grading: Good/Very good
3.11 Growing research areas
There are several initiatives for developing research in new areas, such
as autism spectrum disorders, pedagogical research, different areas of
nursing and descriptions of normal ageing of organ functions. These
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cannot yet be evaluated and there is no information about the criteria for
focusing particularly on these items.
4. Collaboration
The supplementary submissions which were requested from different
research areas revealed that the researchers at the Department in many
research areas are fairly well connected within Lund University and to the
outside world at both local, national and international levels. Interaction
between the research areas within the department is demonstrated in
joint publications, but there is a need for its further strengthening, as emphasized
in the department’s self-evaluation. Very clearly the orientation
to increasing interdisciplinary collaboration is visible in the initiative of
CASE, which attracts researchers not only from the department of health
sciences but also, e.g. from engineering and behavioral and social sciences
creating in this way new research cultures. Collaboration with other
departments of the medical faculty could be stronger, and in particular
more in depth co-operation with clinical sciences should be promoted.
Widespread collaboration at national and international level is demonstrated
by joint publications and also active involvement in networking and
international organizations (also in leading positions) in many research
areas (e.g. research on elderly and ageing and health and care of women
and children). There is close collaboration at the level of Region Skåne in
implementing interventions and otherwise developing services not only
within social and health care but also in a broader societal context related,
e.g., to living conditions of older adults. Collaboration at national level is
also well developed in several research areas. This arena might be further
developed by creating, for example, larger consortia and alliances between
departments and units working in the same research fields.
The number of international collaborating institutes with joint publications
is large; about 100 during the assessment period. This extensive
collaboration was confirmed by the additional submissions from different
research areas. The number of foreign scholars and doctoral students visiting
the department has, on the other hand, been fairly low in relation to
the number of collaborating institutes. The department does not recruit
many staff from outside Sweden. The Panel felt that this situation would
deserve more attention in the future.
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Engagement in the scientific society seems to be active; altogether about
170 individuals have contributed during the assessment period in these
activities. The high number of text books and popular writings and governmental/societal
assignments point to a significant societal relevance
of research carried out at the department. This is further indicated by the
important financial contribution from the Swedish Council for Working
Life and Social Research (FAS). Challenges regarding the development
of translational research are great, but there seems to be potential for
responding to that both in terms of required infrastructures and the need
for technological and social innovations and product development in
health sciences.
The Panel rates the level and results of collaboration as very good
5. Research activity and teaching
The teaching load seems to be high in this department, at least in some
education programmes, with the balance weighed in favour of teaching.
The teaching has been recently highly graded, which indicates an exceptional
achievement in a department which has also been prioritising
enhancements in the quality and extent of its research. In universities
around the world, the quality of teaching is too often sacrificed when
research productivity grows. The highly rated teaching in this Department
at Lund is therefore quite a special achievement from which even
greater capital could be made, in the form of pedagogic research, and
marketing of courses. The Panel appreciates that a lot of energy has had
to be concentrated into the actual developmental stage of many of the
research areas, including increasing the academic qualifications of the
staff. It seems that the senior researchers are also actively involved in
producing teaching material and textbooks (even for international use)
and have provided teaching also at nearby universities and university
colleges.
Introduction to research work is part of both Bachelor´s and Master´s
study programmes, and special attention has been paid to develop post
graduate studies (e.g. the roles of the Vårdal institute and the Graduate
School for Ageing Research). Within the pedagogical groups development
work is also carried out to enhance the impact of research on
education programmes. We recommend that research groups should
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develop and contribute to specific teaching programmes related to
their research and provide evidence of where this is happening, such as
within their problem-based learning, which is itself a research-informed
approach to teaching and learning. Furthermore, we recommend that
the relationship between teaching and research will be strengthened by
encouraging researchers and especially PhD students to do more teaching
and stimulating more lecturers to become research active.
We rate the relation between research activity and teaching as good.
6. Evaluation of future plans
and potentials and possibilities
The philosophy, visions, strategy and criteria for setting priorities for
the future development of the department are based on the values of
Lund Unversity and on the recent documents prepared by the medical
faculty (The future of the Faculty of Medicine Strategic Plan 2007–2011,
and The Way Forward – Staff strategy for the Faculty of Medicine
2007–2012).
These documents provide good starting points for planning work at the
department level. The plans for the future focus on the continuation
and extension of work in the different research areas and on the increase
of research to support the established education programmes described
indicating increasing diversity in the already existing multidirectional,
multiprofessional and multidisciplinary structure and approach.
The plans reflect contemporary problems as starting points regarding,
for example, the need to develop evidence base for policy, care, health
promotion and science to support optimal health and wellbeing, create
additional centres of excellence, apply multiple research methdologies and
in particular focus more on interventions and use of RTCs, and increase
resources through extensive collaboration nationally and internationally.
From the Panel´s viewpoint the strategic planning and visions for the
future are in general feasible and oriented towards the right directions..
The Panel is, however, concerned about the lack of information on
strategies and criteria regarding decision making on research priorities
and selecting themes for new research initiatives.
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Strong leadership will be needed to maintain a proactive attitude to
change, to increase the number of permanently employed professors
and senior researchers and to ensure long-term funding in the current
situation of a significant budget deficit at the medical faculty, to deal
successfully with the already ongoing generational shift and to decrease
the high average age (43 years) of doctoral students, to further increase
cross-disciplinary research, which seems to be important for getting
external funding, to ensure effective management and quality assurance
of new research projects, and to further strengthen infrastructures for
translational research. The institutional board formed early in 2008 is
seen as an important step in this direction.
The department of health sciences has significant potential and good
possibilities to reach a leading status nationally and internationally in its
many research areas. There are a few research areas and environments
that already have turned out to be successful and have potential to
develop towards the highest level of international research in the field of
health sciences. Several research areas, as indicated in this evaluation,
have already shown nationally and internationally recognized status and
possess very good potential for future development. The contribution of
nursing science has become strong in a short time and has much potential
for future research in Sweden and Europe.
The panel felt that more consideration ought to be put forward to streamline
the research areas, brought together to focus on fewer issues and
also concentrating activities to fewer physical environments, as already
planned There are several ways of approaching this challenge. Many
research areas are dealing, for example, with important issues of ageing
and old age, and even though significant overlapping does not seem to exist
in research questions a closer collaboration between them might result
in increased capacity to run major research projects and develop effective
interventions, which usually require plenty of resources. The expertise of
occupational and physiotherapy could also significantly contribute to this
research field.
Similarly a closer collaboration between disciplines and research areas
focusing on different aspects of mental wellbeing and mental health
(including also behavioral and social sciences) might result in improving
quality in carrying out RCTs and developing interventions. The two
research fields, reproductive and perinatal care and child health and
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family care, should be combined more clearly. They have the same goals
and same relevance, but it would be possible to create a stronger research
team for health and care of women and children.
The present work in rehabilitation and disability needs to be enhanced
through the new platform for the study of disabilities, for, with the
advances in life-saving medical techniques, the number of people with
chronic disabilities is set to increase, especially if the demographics of
the ageing population is included. CASE and the planned disability
platform should be encouraged to collaborate, for many of the solutions
found for supporting elderly in their chosen environments apply equally
to physically disabled people. HOW and MOVE could also combine
forces more often, for occupational and exercise sciences hold common
elements. PhD-education seems to be well arranged. The numbers of
graduating students, however, are rather low and their research work
should be integrated more clearly with the research projects and with
each others. This has to do with the strategy of selection of new PhDstudents,
not clearly expressed in evaluation material. Post-doc students
also should be involved and strategies for improving the maturation of
researchers should be made (not only PhD-education).
The decisions of the county Region Skåne to establish A Regional
Geriatric Centre and a Primary Health Centre and to create a Platform
for Disability Studies signal important progress for further strengthening
of translational research in the field of social and health care. Additional
discussions and planning work seem to be required in order to strengthen
collaboration with clinical medicine. The three joint appointments for
senior researchers to be established in 2008 will presumably create
a significant resource for strengthening translational research in the
development of services.
Management and quality assurance of research areas needs to be given
more importance. This means, that more emphasis should be given to
quality management of the project, recruitment of new researchers and
management of the project (process, structure, actors, roles, support).
The future development of the newly established research centres, and
possible new ones, might play an important part in the success of research
activities, and in the creation of new research cultures. Great expectations,
therefore, exist regarding the quality of their research plans, not
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being more ad hoc. For each centre it will be important to build up an
infrastructure and collaboration that best promotes the implementation
of the planned research. The roles, orientations and placement of different
disciplines and research groups in this context should be carefully
and evaluated without prejudice. The Panel felt that more discussions
and strategic planning are needed at the department level for the further
development of research contents and infrastructures including the
combination of different research groups under broader umbrellas.
The overall rating of future plans in their present form is good
7. Gender and equal opportunity issues
Of the total staff (N=218) 75 % were women in 2007. The corresponding
proportion for academic staff was 63 % and for professors 36 %. The proportion
of women among professors has doubled between 2003 and 2007
and it is expected to grow in the future. The percentage of women among
the registered doctoral students was 78 in 2007. Perhaps more positive
capital can be made from this situation where female academic staff are
in the majority in this department, and are obviously being successfully
supported in very specific ways, at a time when most university departments
are striving to achieve better equality for women scientists. The
predominance of women is related to the establishment of certain allied
health sciences (e.g. caring science, occupational therapy, physiotherapy)
as academic disciplines in the Swedish universities (along with others
internationally). The future development of the gender balance depends
mainly on the gender structure among the applicants to the educational
programmes of the department.
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PANEL 12 – SCIENCE BIO / GEO
CONTENTS
1. Department of Cell and Organism Biology (COB)........................................320
2. Department of Ecology...............................................................................326
3. Department of Geology............................................................................. 334
4. Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis (INES)........... 342
5. The Biological Museums............................................................................ 348
1. Department of Cell and Organism Biology (COB)
1.1 Overall assessment
The 6 year old department of Cell and Organism Biology (COB) comprises
more than 100 employees ( about 40 scientists , 46 PhD students
and 29 technical staff), and as a result of its merger history consists of
several diverse research groups that still reflect the formerly independent
departments: Integrative Zoology (more or less Lund Vision Group
including taxonomy and systematics), Microbiology, Genetics, Plant
Biology (Molecular Plant Biology) and Zoological Cell Biology (including
neurobiology). The teaching load seems high, thus leaving only a
small amount of official working time for research. The ratio between
the number of PhD-students and the number of full time staff seems
reasonable and corresponds to international standard. Together, scientists
of COB have produced a total of 101 publications in 2007 which is a very
satisfactory output.
1.2 Research quality
The internationally most renowned and by all standards most visible
group within department of Cell and Organism Biology (COB) is the
Lund Vision Group This is the world’s leading group of a most important
part of vision research namely comparative research on vision systems of
different animals, their functional principles as well as their evolution. As
a consequent and most innovative extension of its research strategy, the
Lund vision group has now teamed up with members from other disciplines
and departments and formed a Center for Animal and Machine
Vision (CAMVIS). This is a particular promising new area. Therefore, in
our opinion this group gets a grading as outstanding.
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Under the heading “Integrative Zoology” the Lund Vision Group is
certainly dealing with aspects of neurobiology as well as groups that are
found under the heading “Zoological Cell Biology”, which study nerve
regeneration with extensions into very new and also innovative areas such
as brain-machine interface. In addition, one further group is concerned
with cell proliferation and is involved in research on the control mechanisms
of cell-cycle and programmed cell death. There is also a group on
gut development with international contacts and collaboration. These
groups publish regularly in very good to good scientific journals and
therefore can be ranked good to very good.
The research in genetics encompasses work on a very heterogeneous set of
topics, from cell genetics to theoretical research on evolution of genetic
systems. Many of the groups have had good, some excellent publication
records, but for the rather small groups it is not easy to rise to the very
top, especially as the groups are so heterogeneous. It seems that there
is rather little actual interaction between the groups. Each group has
their collaborations mostly outside their own department. Some of the
research has potential for interaction, such as the evolutionary genetics
group, evolutionary aspects of the yeast work or vertebrate phylogenomics.
The group studying yeast genetics and enzyme evolution occupies a
rather unique niche in the field of evolution and comparative research on
yeast. It is one of the few European laboratories which combines a good
knowledge of systematics based not only on classical phylogeny but also
on physiological and biochemical approaches combined with genome sequence
analyses. The publication output is very good and the group had a
tradition of international collaborations. Its scientific status is increasing.
In particular, vertebrate phylogenomics and the studies based, especially,
on the mitochondrial genome, have been traditionally a very strong area
in the department and have resulted in highly visible publications. The
group continues to be active on an international level and to produce very
good to excellent publications. The former head of this group has recently
retired, directions by the new group leader include putting more emphasis
on studying the nuclear genome. This necessary change in direction is
just starting to show up in the publication record. In general, our rating
for groups in genetics is from very good to excellent.
Microbiology was one of five independent departments that merged
in 2002. Research in Microbiology is specialised about Gram-positive
bacteria, and aimed at increasing knowledge about basic processes in
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biology and detailed understanding of bacteria. ‘Aspects of Gram-positive
bacteria are in focus also in several research groups at the Technical and
Medical Faculties at Lund University’. From the information provided by
the department information on Microbiology is rather poor. Microbiology
of COB does not seem to be involved in special multi- and interdisciplinary
activities of Genomic Ecology. This part of the department is
also not described as a particularly strong and successful research area.
Some good publications were found on the web and on-site discussions
resulted in our overall assessment as very good.
In general, for an outside reviewer the diversity of COB is difficult to justify
from a functional point of view as there exist collaborations across departmental
borders (CAMVIS, experimental evolution, genomic ecology/
evolution) and much less within the department itself. As far as research
is concerned the department could easily split or merge according to the
future research areas pointed out by the department. Teaching should
be organised across departmental borders, and should not be taken as an
excuse for maintaining “old” structures which may not work. In particular,
some subjects, for example genetics, can be found in various departments
without clear collaborative connections. Potential for more collaboration
certainly exists between COB and Ecology. Having all these groups centred
in one location (“Biology Center”) would help immensely. However,
at the level above the Department, there is an expressed wish to merge the
Department of Ecology with Cell and Organism Biology. For two reasons,
we caution against a precipitate merger without the full agreement of both
Departments. First, the Departments themselves are still struggling to deal
with the consequences of previous mergers. Second, across the world there
is a trend for Biology Departments to divide into Cell and Molecular on
the one hand and Whole Organism on the other. Despite its name, Cell
and Organism is essentially Cell and Molecular while Animal Ecology has
the potential to be rebranded Whole Organism.
1.3 Research infrastructure
According to their own assessment the research infrastructure of the
department is very good to good, and this seems to apply for all the different
groups including those working in molecular biology, for example
(microscopes, equipment for growth of microbial cells, equipment for
cell disintegration, fractionation and component purification, large-scale
production of recombinant proteins). The potent Lund Vision Group
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requires a strong and state-of-the-art microscopy center with equipment
ranging from confocal laser-scanning microscopy to transmission and
scanning electron microscopy. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough
that such a technical core unit should have enough technical support-staff
and must not be affected by the “under-staffing in technical personel”
deplored by the department. As far as physiology, biochemistry, microbiology
and molecular biology is concerned the list of resources given by
the department sounds impressive and seems to be adequate for maintaining
a high research profile. The rapid turnover of techniques and fast
progressing sophistication of technical equipment makes it necessary that
enough funds will be available for maintaining, repairing and replacing
instruments, something that often seems to be a scarce resource once
equipment has been bought.
1.4 Collaboration, Research activity and teaching
Again, from data and descriptions provided by the department itself,
the activities within this given category can only be called impressive
although his may vary enormously between the different groups of the
department. In particular, the number of foreign visitors underline the
attractiveness of this department for international guest scientists. In addition,
the department also keeps a high number of contacts and collaborations
with other institutes that may also be taken as a good indicator for
the international as well as interdisciplinary approach in this department.
We believe that within the department the collaboration between
individual groups is very different, perhaps with the Lund Vision Group
being the most collaborative (as they all share a common research theme)
with other areas in the department more or less consisting of individual
groups forming the other extreme. This in itself is no problem as long as
the individual group has a very high and international reputation and
remains collaborations between other universities. From a departmental
point of view it is certainly desirable if the department can be structured
more around the future research directions. Usually retirements give an
opportunity to adjust to future research plans and the department should
be allowed to come up with its own ideas and solutions.
As far as we can tell the department is heavily engaged in teaching and we
can only sympathize with this. It is one of the most formidable tasks of a
university to teach and do research and, therefore, all attempts to separate
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teaching and research should be strongly resisted. However, there should
also be enough time for research, and administrative duties for research
personel including professors should be kept at a minimum. That in
the text provided by the department such a statement was noteworthy,
actually shows that indeed imbalances exist. Usually such imbalances do
affect the research output.
1.5 Evaluation of future plans
and future potentials and possibilities
It is very clear that the Lund Vision Group with its already existing and
planned activities into the field of biorobotics will be a real stronghold in
the foreseeable future. It is a splendid idea to combine aspects of neurobiology
and engineering in a teaching program (Master program) in
neurobiology and robotics. We are convinced that this unique endeavour
will be very attractive for students and hold enormous future potential.
If such a master program is implemented fast this certainly would be a
“first”, and correspondingly would attract talented students with special
interests in this field. (Outstanding).
In our opinion a similar high potential for the future have the groups in
neurobiology that deal with brain-machine interfaces. We feel that they
should closely relate to the biorobotics groups and interactions between
the CAMVIS program and the groups that are involved in attempts to
study brain-machine interfaces should be strongly encouraged. Such
studies also have enormous future potentials although, at the moment,
they may still be only at the very beginning and, perhaps, less advanced
than many of the biorobots that use vision or mechanical senses for orientation.
Nevertheless, these groups will definitely contribute to further
research progress. (Very good).
The department also points out cellular signaling as one of its future
research areas, and we completely agree to its goals outlined in the provided
material. Indeed, cellular signaling, which in many ways deals with
basic principles in many different organisms, can act as a unifying theme
for a lot of diverse groups. This diversity of approaches and systems is, of
course, the result of a certain history. Although we do sympathize with
this diversity, as it is still important for the purpose of teaching and can
also bring in views and perspectives from other usually distant disciplines,
we could imagine a more coherent organisation with respect to this topic.
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If one wants to increase collaboration between the cellular signaling and
the vision groups, for example, one could think of one additional group
in neurobiology which examines signaling pathways of photoreceptors or
related retinal cells and, thus, would act as an ideal “bridge”. (Good)
There is also a center for genomic ecology as an important possibility for
collaborations between ecologists and geneticists. Some more projects
could benefit from using genome wide resources, such as those on evolution
in relatives of model plant A. thaliana. The genetics activities are
carried out by 4 research groups; three of which focus on evolution. Such
a focus on evolution appears very appropriate as an increasing wealth of
untapped genomic data become available. In addition, the activity of the
other genetics groups seems interesting, including those related to brain
tumor, anti-cancer and anti-viral therapies but the provided data do not
allow a further in depth assessment.
The plant biology activities concern 4 topics: Transgenesis, Redox biology,
Map kinases, Calcium homeostasis. These rather classic topics are all
important but one has to ask about collaborations and about the standing
on the individual groups. As no further data were supplied and not much
can be found in the text provided by the department nothing can be
concluded.
1.6 Gender and equal opportunity issues
There is always room for improvement on this particular aspect, although
the percentage of women as research fellows, researchers and senior lecturers
is quite impressive. On the professorial level, however, these percentages drop
dramatically which is the usual picture in many European universities. This
will only change slowly, we are afraid. One way of aiding improvement of
more women choosing an academic career is to create some special programs
which are designed for women and encourage them to plan a scientific
career. Prerequisite of this is that the university provides enough help so that
science and family can be combined. This should allows women scientists to
be able to accumulate enough results for being competitive.
1.7 Concluding remarks
If we understand the history of this department correctly it is the result
of a merger between previously independent departments, and this may
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explain its rather unusual “diversity” that ranges from neurobiology
and genetics to plant physiology. In its own assessment the department
points out that such diversity is required for maintaining the standards
of teaching. Apparently, there was some pressure for this merger, which
in our opinion only makes sense if the “teaching argument” is accompanied
by some “functional research arguments”. However, such research
arguments we can only see in a few subgroups.
At present the department is located in four separate buildings which
clearly does neither aid the collaboration between groups nor does it provide
a lot of arguments for a merger. The formation of a real department
with its own identity, with true interdisciplinary collaboration and with a
novel and innovative research plan can only be achieved if all groups will
be located together in one building i.e. in very close proximity. In fact,
as outlined by the department itself, moving the various groups of COB
and the other mentioned departments such as Ecology and Undergraduate
Studies in Biology, to one large building, thus forming a “Biology
Center”, is the precondition for a successful and future fruitful merger.
If such a single location or “Biology Center” does not materialise, all
attempts in this respect are bound to fail as “virtual” units tend to remain
“virtual”. In addition, only if groups share the same location can synergies
in sharing large and expensive equipment be achieved. Thus, only
if there is a clear commitment for a “Biology Center” can a merger and
further new innovative research be successful beyond what are already
successful research areas.
2. Department of Ecology
2.1 Overall assessment
The very large Department of Ecology is highly heterogeneous. The
total number of scientists is listed as 150 (including Ph.D. students). The
department resulted from a merger of six sections, which are even now
quite independent (Plant Ecology and Systematics, Microbial Ecology,
Animal Ecology, Limnology, Theoretical Ecology and Chemical Ecology
and Ecotoxicology). Many of the scientists work on external funding, as a
high proportion of the departmental funding comes from outside sources
(about 50%). Collaboration between divisions seems good. Teaching is
exceptionally well integrated.
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Overall this group has produced about 200 scientific papers per year.
During 2002–2007 the scientists have been involved in more than a
dozen Nature or Science papers.
There are several groups with a high publication record, and a strong profile
of their own. The animal movement group is at the very top internationally
in its own original area. Parts of the animal ecology also rank in this
group. The microbial ecology group has a strong original profile and an
excellent publication record. Others publish extensively, but with less of an
original Lund profile. Productivity overall is very good, quality ranges from
good to outstanding. The department has a low level of external recruitment
and scientists make few sabbatical or other long term visits. This poses a
threat for the vitality and renewal of the department.
At the level above the Department there is an expressed wish to merge the
Department of Ecology with Cell and Organism Biology. For two reasons,
we caution against a precipitate merger without the full agreement
of both Departments. First, the Departments themselves are still struggling
to deal with the consequences of previous mergers. Second, across
the world there is a trend for Biology Departments to divide into Cell and
Molecular on the one hand and Whole Organism on the other. Despite
its name, Cell and Organism is essentially Cell and Molecular while
Animal Ecology has the potential to be rebranded Whole Organism.
2.2 Research infrastructure
The department has outstanding infrastructure for the different types of
work. The specialty infrastructure, the wind tunnel, is a prerequisite for
high quality research output in one specialist area. The basic greenhouse
and animal growth facilities seem sufficient. The sequencing facility deals
with a rather low number of sequences annually. For work on non-model
organisms, in house facilities are useful. Chemical ecology also has
its specialty needs fulfilled. There is no mention of plans to use high
throughput sequencing methods for various research questions. This will
certainly be a need for the future – the actual sequencing could possibly
be from an outside (or at least university wide facility).
2.3 Research quality
Plant Ecology and Systematics papers are in general published in good
and very good specialist journals of the field. The research combines plant
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ecology and genetic approaches. The work also contains a conservation
biology aspect. This represents solid work in its own area, combining the
strong natural history background with population and quantitative genetics.
More recently, an exciting small scale study in moss sperm movement
by soil arthropods has received much attention. Rating is good to very good.
Soil microbial ecology has a long standing strong tradition in this area,
including very well cited studies relating e.g. to assessing growth and
activity of micro-organisms. The effects of anthropogenic changes have
also been addressed. On this tradition, the division has built programs
reaching into genomic ecology, where it now has a very good international
standing. They were important partners in sequencing the Laccaria
genome, and coordinate the Paxillus sequencing. Importantly, the
division also has recruited expertise in bioinformatics. They are a well
known group with their own strong profile. Excellent to outstanding.
Chemical ecology and ecotoxicology are two rather distinct areas. The
well established insect pheromone work examines chemical communication
and speciation. The recent papers seem to be published in rather
specialist insect ecology journals, and a strong connection to the theoretical
issues is not evident. The other group works on soil invertebrate
ecology and communities: they have a rather applied direction and are
involved in European collaboration. Publication is in good and very good
specialist journals. Good to very good.
Limnology has a high diversity of topics, connected by the aquatic
environment. The areas range from dissolved organic carbon to speciation
issues, predator-prey-environment interactions, origin of dissolved
organic matter. There is a strong component of environmental issues.
Important collaboration on terrestrial sources of carbon to lakes (with
leading US partners) resulted in a Science paper. Publication is mostly in
general ecology or in aquatic ecology journals. The group has produced a
research-based educational textbook by Oxford University Press. Productivity
and quality overall are rated very good to excellent.
Animal Ecology lists among its prominent research groupings:
Avian immunology and parasites (malaria). The key studies here are on
avian malaria. The Department is certainly a player on the world stage
but given the potential of this subject the impression is that the level of
output should have been higher. An important research paper appears
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less often than once a year, often in collaboration with other research
groups. Immune mediated competition and cryptic speciation are important
topics here and more should have been done to develop them as
well-funded central research themes, rather than the subject of occasional
papers. The current grading is very good.
Biodiversity and conservation ecology. This is a very mixed group of
research projects, generally working at a local or national level. Research
papers tend to be either very specialist or published in specialist journals
or both, although there are exceptions when populations in different
countries are compared. For such a diverse grouping, not many papers
are published each year, and few are in top-flight journals. Taxonomic
coherence is weak – it seems that individuals stick to working on their
own taxon, and the grouping has been put together for pragmatic reasons
rather the use of common methodologies or tools. The current grading is
insufficient to good. However, it is important to bear in mind that conservation
biology must be carried out on the ground and local centres are
desirable, so the relatively parochial nature of the group at Lund does not
mean it should be abandoned.
Molecular evolution. This is a huge and varied area, which is virtually
impossible to evaluate as a whole because it is so heterogeneous in quality
of work. Very standard molecular tools are being used to answer the sorts
of questions that are being tackled in many other universities. Evolutionary
ecology is a case in point, with Lund being perfectly adequate but
having no identity of its own. In contrast the avian malaria work has the
potential to mark the Department apart. Conservation ecology is an area
that no organismic ecological department can ignore, but there is a lack
of focus with a clear need to identify the Department’s potential position
as a world research leader. The overall assessment is somewhere between
good and insufficient for an overall grading, with the exception of those
working on migration and flight energetics, which are in a different class.
Within the subdivision Animal Ecology of the Department of Ecology
very strong and internationally known groups on animal migration and
flight energetics exist. This special area of animal migration and movement
is a unique endeavour with also unique facilities such as a special wind
tunnel equipped with state of the art velocimetry. This unit is also equipped
with radar and satellite-based radio telemetry including GPS-based
location systems for studying migrating birds. There are also good facilities
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for experiments in the laboratory. From its international standing, field of
research and from some very good publications in high ranking scientific
journals this group gets our ranking excellent with a tendency to outstanding.
These unique technical opportunities and the collaboration within the
department makes the group on biomechanics and functional morphology
one of the best known international groups for the evolution and kinematics
of animal flight such as birds and bats. In this combination of theory
and practice and with respect to its international visibility this group
certainly merits the rank outstanding.
There may also be interesting collaborative potential and “cross fertilization”
with the CAMVIS groups. This could be taken as a further argument for a
closer collaboration of the Department of Cell and Organism Biology and
Ecology, in particular there should be a commitment to have the two in one
location, i.e. a “Biology Center”, without the need for a formal merger.
2.4 Collaboration
This broad department offers many opportunities for collaboration between
different groups. The animal migration and movement group has collaborates
with theoretical ecologists and molecular ecologists. Plant ecologists
and soil ecologists joined forces in an interesting report on sperm movement
by arthropods. Further collaborations are between departments, e.g. with
Physical Geography and Ecosystems. However, collaborations with the COB
geneticists or evolutionists seem scarce. The department has attracted a high
number of visitors. It seems, how ever, surprising that of this very large group
of scientists altogether 18, (i.e. 3/year) made a research visit abroad. Not surprisingly,
such faculty or post doctoral visits can be very fruitful for renewal
of the department and its research themes (see Råberg et al. 2007 Science).
2.5 Research activity and teaching
The Department engages in broad undergraduate and graduate teaching,
seemingly better integrated with research than in many other Swedish
universities. The recent starting of a Research School in Genomic Ecology
is a welcome addition. The department lists about 50 Ph.D. students as
personnel, but nearly a 100 Ph.D. students are registered, and the number
75 is given on p. 8. On average 17 Ph.D. are produced. Mostly Ph.D.
training seems quite efficient, with average time of 4.5 years.
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2.6 Evaluation of future plans
Overall, most of the future plans are presented at a general level, and it is
not easy to evaluate them.
The Center for Genomic Ecology and the associated Research School
represent very good initiative. The center will serve many groups in the
department. It will provide possibilities for e.g. gene expression studies.
Importantly, there is also bioinformatics expertise for genome annotation or
comparative genomics etc.
Most genomic centers would be busy thinking about how best to take advantage
of the high throughput sequencing applications to tackle important
questions with the new tools. The plans here are at a very general level, and
do not seem to engage very much in sequence level methods for within
population studies (as also suggested by the moderate numbers of sequences
analysed at the center). If the plan is to get such analyses done outside the
university, one would still have expected to see this discussed.
It seems that Lund ecology lacks in depth expertise in analysis of population
genetics of sequence variation, or of population genomic studies. Many of
the groups list topics such as speciation and adaptation at the molecular
level. For these topics, analysis of sequence variation is a very powerful tool,
naturally combined to other approaches.
Experimental evolution. The plans for are so vaguely describe it is not possible
to really evaluate them.
Plant Ecology and Systematics. The studies on gene diversity and habitats
will aim at moving to a more explicitly genomics based approach. It is clear
that this approach will demand much focus, in terms of species and systems.
Since quite much work is already going on internationally in this area, the
groups need to consider where their special strength is. The plans to expand
studies related to the recent findings of sperm transfer in mosses are also
quite vague.
Chemical ecology and toxicology. The future plans of this division are a
mixture of rather vaguely stated general issues (speciation), but then go on to
discuss technical issues such as heterologous expression of genes. Speciation
studies are widely conducted, it is not clear what the specific Lund contribution
will be here. The section on soil ecology also gives just very general description.
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Microbial ecology. The genomics of fungal interactions with plants or
colonization of litter will provide extensive opportunities for exciting
research. The group has wisely already focused on a specific important
species, Paxillus, and the expertise is there to take much advantage of
the soon to be available full genome sequence. The plans are quite broad
ranging, also for the other areas of microbial ecology.
Animal ecology. The department maps out futures for three components
of animal ecology:
Molecular and evolutionary ecology. Within this, the suggestion is that
avian malaria should do well as a research topic – that seems correct – but
the suggestion is to move forward into emerging diseases, virulence, host
resistance and tolerance. That is a far too wide a potential portfolio. Many
large departments, often with medical support are working on those
topics. Avian malaria is different and we suggest that it is used as a model
system to study particular, defined problems.
The second area here is whether the same genes are involved in the
evolution of similar adaptive traits in related species. Five broad taxa are
suggested using four lines of approach. Again, that is wildly optimistic. A
proper consideration of the literature is needed here because recent work
in development means that it should be related specifically to the questions
asked here – you are ignoring evo-devo, which has already said a lot
about this research area. If this whole section is properly re-evaluated, it
has the potential to develop successfully.
Conservation biology. The proposal here is to develop further a series
of international collaborations. That is generally a good thing, but the
lack of specifics concerning the questions to be answered by the different
parties of the collaborations means that this is impossible to evaluate.
Landscape ecological approaches to conservation biology are not, as
argued here, new.
It is clear that the excellent areas of animal migration and movement
research should enjoy the continuing strong support by the university.
In addition, according to the information given by the department, the
animal movement research group also collaborates with groups exploring
the genetic basis of orientation behaviour. This is a “hot-spot” of research
on migration and a very promising future area that combines behaviour
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with genetics. Therefore, a Center for Genomic Ecology (CGE) is a very
welcome addition, also for this research group.
Limnology. The plan lists many important areas, but at a very general
level. They plan to continue in the areas of strength. Plans on how to
include molecular genetic tools are not described.
Theoretical ecology. The section on the future of theoretical ecology is
poor. The paragraph on community ecology and evolution is vacuous.
How are we supposed to map genes on to communities! The role of theory
in ecology is well established as is the role of theory in evolution, and in
evolutionary ecology. Generally, theoretical biologists work well in association
with active observation, or experimental research groups who need
their support to formulate testable models. The value of neural networks
has long been posited and is currently frequently criticised as not having
delivered. There is no explanation for why it should deliver here.
2.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The department has a very broad agenda, which allows for multiple collaborations.
Combining expertise between areas has already had interesting
results, but many more such opportunities can be found in the future. To
efficiently combine the genomics possibilities with the existing expertise
e.g. in animal migration still lies ahead.
The very good ecology base is now being combined with genomics. It
seems that overall, relative to the number of ecologists, there is very little
quantitative genetics or population genomics. These seem like very necessary
ingredients for bridging between ecology and genomics. Bringing in
more of such expertise could be quite productive.
During the last five years, there have been 22 recruitments (not specified
at what levels), of which 15 have been filled with internal candidates.
Visits (longer than 3 months) to other labs were rare. This may pose a
l threat to the renewal of the research in the department. The lack of
external recruitment may be a serious (university wide) issue.
Lund University in general has been quite successful in obtaining
“Centre of excellence (Linnaeus, Berzelius)” support in many areas.
However, there is currently no such center in ecology, even if this is a very
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large department. This issue requires certainly some consideration of the
department’s leadership.
2.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
Statistics show that there are 2–3 females among the about 20 professors, 22
% of academic staff are women, which is quite low. Half the doctoral students
have been women for many years, but even the younger researcher classes
contain few women. With the predominant internal recruitment, it will be
difficult to change this situation rapidly. The committee recommends that
the University puts extra effort to recruiting outstanding female scientists.
3. Department of Geology
3.1 Background
The Department of Geology forms part of the Geobiosphere Science Centre
(CGB) along with the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem
Analysis (INES). From 2009 the two departments will form a federation
and will be unified into a single department in 2012. Research activities
are divided into two sub-areas: Quaternary Science and Lithosphere-
Palaeobiosphere Science.
The number of academic staff has remained steady between 2003 and 2007;
however the number of permanent positions has fallen. The number of doctoral
students has also remained largely steady over the reporting period, but
there has been an increase over the past two years. Production of publications
per academic FTE has risen over the reporting period. For peer-reviewed
journal articles the figure has risen from two to three per person per year,
which is very good for this field. Nevertheless it is clear that not all members
of the academic staff are equally active in terms of research outputs. A parallel
drop in conference papers. book chapters and papers in national journals may
partly reflect a switch in publishing strategy.
There is a promising upward trajectory of research income for the reporting
period (almost doubled). Until recently EU income has represented only a
small proportion of total research income.
The department has exceptional research facilities in some areas, including
world-class Ar-Ar and C14 dating laboratories that serve both
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sub- departments, attracting research collaborations both nationally and
internationally. It has maintained post-graduate enrolment against national
and European trends. There has been a drive to recruit promising
younger staff, which has created a department, especially in Quaternary
Sciences, that is dynamic and relatively young in average age. The new
generation of scientists is interdisciplinary in outlook, which promises
well for intra-and inter-departmental and institutional collaboration.
The major threat to strong future development is the insecure employment
situation that underlies a lack of recruitment to permanent positions,
potential high levels of stress among staff, and an inability to plan
clearly for the future
3.2 Summary evaluation of research
Quaternary Science
Quality: Outstanding
Productivity: Outstanding
Relevance: Outstanding
Vitality: Outstanding
Lithosphere-Palaeobiosphere Science
Quality: Very good with some aspects excellent-outstanding
Productivity: Very good with some aspects excellent-outstanding
Relevance: Very good with some aspects excellent-outstanding
Vitality: Very good; some aspects excellent-outstanding
3.3 Comments at sub-departmental level
3.3.1 Quaternary Sciences
Quaternary Sciences includes seven definable groups with strong overlap
among groups.
3.3.1.1 Research infrastructure
Quaternary Sciences is exceptionally well equipped with major infrastructure
units that support departmental, national and international
research, and which also make contributions to other disciplines (e.g.
archaeology): a new state-of-the-art Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
(AMS) dating facility, and a palaeomagnetic/mineral magnetic laboratory
and an Argon-Argon dating laboratory, all of which are unique within
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Sweden, international in reputation, and which support both the major
disciplinary themes in Lund Geology. Two further nationally important
units focus on wood and ceramics.
3.3.1.2 Research Quality
Quaternary Sciences highlights three themes of particular importance, all
of which emphasize physical processes and change in the Earth system.
Glacial and climate history of glaciated areas with emphasis on polar
regions
Quality: Outstanding; a well-established reputation for studies in this
area is continued today. Major contributions to understanding
of responses of glacial and related systems to climate
change, especially in arctic and amphi-atlantic regions.
Publications in highly-ranked journals are well cited.
Productivity: Excellent (particularly as regards research theses)
Relevance: Outstanding; advancing knowledge in this area has gained
substantially in international importance with the awareness
of impending climate change.
Vitality: Outstanding; a strong group that has input to the international
science arena through participation in international
committees.
Palaeomagnetism and cosmogenic radionulides
Quality: Outstanding; this is a relatively new field and major contributions
in development of technique and applications have
been made by the Lund group.
Productivity: Excellent, high-quality.
Relevance: Outstanding; knowledge of solar variability is critical to
climate change issues and to accurate dating of past events.
Findings published in the most highly-ranked general
interest science journals (Science, Nature) and used by the
IPCC AR4.
Vitality: Outstanding; exciting new field.
Palaeoclimate, palaeoecology, palaeoceanography, biogeochemical
cycles since the last ice age
Quality: Outstanding/excellent; a broad range of issues addressed,
many within international collaborations, some at the
forefront of reconstruction techniques.
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Productivity: Outstanding, especially with regards to PhD theses. This is
a broad area with numerous staff involved and encompasses
many of the articles produced by Quaternary Sciences.
Relevance: Outstanding; wide-ranging implications for understanding
climate change, and responses and mechanisms of physical
and biotic systems to change, including human-induced
change.
Vitality: Outstanding; large group with several new junior staff.
3.3.2 Lithosphere & Paleobiosphere Sciences
Lithosphere & Paleobiosphere Sciences includes three main research
groups, between two of which (B & C) there is significant overlap:
A: Magmatism, large-scale deformation and terrane analysis in space and
time
B: Faunal and floral evolution and environmental change in the geological
record with particular emphasis on the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic
(60-600 Ma)
C: Global environmental events
Included within this grouping is the core expertise needed to support the
undergraduate curriculum in Geology.
3.3.2.1 Research infrastructure
Research activity is supported by the world-class Ar-Ar geochronology
laboratory and the palaeomagnetic/mineral magnetic laboratory. Many of
the research facilities that one might expect to see in a Geology department
with interests in “hard-rock” geology are, however, conspicuously
absent (e.g. XRF, ICP-MS, electron microprobe, radiogenic isotope geochemistry),
although access to such facilities is possible via collaboration
with other universities in Sweden and internationally.
3.3.2.2 Research Quality
Lithosphere and Palaeobiosphere Sciences highlights three research areas
of strong national/international impact.
An astronomical perspective on the evolution of life
Quality: Outstanding; recent high profile recent publications in
Nature and Science involving collaborations with leading
scientists in this field internationally.
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Productivity: Excellent-outstanding.
Relevance: Outstanding; Lund’s research in this exciting new research
field has gained substantial international interest; unique
research niche.
Vitality: Outstanding; a relatively small group that has significant input
to the international science agenda; ranked in the top 2%
of all science disciplines by the Swedish Research Council.
Evolution of the biosphere
Quality:
Excellent; Lund has a long history of research in this field
extending back to the 19th Century. The emphasis of the
research has shifted in recent years away from more traditional
palaeontological and taxonomic activities to a more
integrated Earth System science approach.
Productivity: Excellent–outstanding; high-quality outputs (over 100
publications in international journals since 2003) and a
good record of PhD theses (7).
Relevance:
Vitality:
Outstanding; essential to understanding the Deep Time
aspects of environmental change
Excellent; exciting renaissance and revitalisation of a core
research strength of the department; strong international
collaboration.
Timing of break-up and assembly of continents
Quality: Excellent; this represents one of the traditional strengths
of the Geology department in Lund. Although some of
the strong research leaders in this field now have Emeritus
status they continue to publish prolifically.
Productivity: Good (50 papers), especially with regards to PhD theses(6).
This is an interdisciplinary research area.
Relevance: Good–excellent; provides fundamental understanding of
the evolution of the Earth; However, whilst there remains
important research to be done, this type of research is
receiving less attention internationally and will become
increasingly difficult to fund. Much of the work described
will provide incremental additions to the knowledge-base
but is unlikely to lead to paradigm shifts.
Vitality: Good; although there are a number of senior academic
staff in this area whose research can be categorised as fairly
traditional.
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3.4 Evaluation of future plans
3.4.1 Quaternary Science
Choice and formulation: Good (but room for improvement – see below).
The formulation is broad; current interest in climate change and the
Earth system means that Quaternary Science sensu lato promises to be an
expanding field in the future. Strategically, a number of highly qualified
junior staff members have been hired in recent years. Their expertise,
coupled with existing expertise, covers a wide range of techniques and
questions. A flexible model is advocated, which should allow an opportunistic
response to VR and EU funding calls.
Integration: Very good – integration has been demonstrated to date and
promises to continue in the future, but this is not explicitly stated.
Infrastructure: Outstanding in the area of Quaternary Science – state-ofthe-art
infrastructure and dating facilities places this department ahead
of any others in Sweden and gives it international standing.
Room for improvement: There might be room for improvement in the
formulation of their strategy. The description provided is a ‘shotgun’
approach to planning for the future. There is no clear mapping on to
national or international research priorities in basic research or applied
research that is related to global environmental change (past, present
and future). Environmental change is becoming a fast-moving field
technically, and the current expertise covers many angles, which is clearly
beneficial. One reason for the lack of a more focussed strategy may be the
insecurity of tenure mentioned in the SWOT: hopefully some of the new
staff will be made permanent, but this is not guaranteed.
In Quaternary Science, the list of 10 (or more) areas of interest could be
more tightly aligned into several overarching issues, for example, i) refinement
of dating and chronologies of environmental change to improve
understanding of mechanisms of change, ii) understanding key components
of the Earth system under climate stress, and iii) understanding of
humans in the Earth system (links clearly to INES). A clearer statement
of the key themes in which Lund is already or could be a world leader
might strengthen/maintain the potential the Quaternary Sciences clearly
has (and is intimated elsewhere in the submitted materials) to lead large
research bids and shape new themes, rather than being merely responsive.
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3.4.2 Lithosphere & Palaeobiosphere Science
Choice and formulation: The group has identified two research areas
which it would like to develop in the next 5–10 years:
Earth system and Planetary Changes: impact on life
Timing of geological events and calibration of the geological time-scale
These research areas complement each other very well and could help to
position Lund as one of the internationally leading departments in the
field of global environmental change and Earth System Science research.
Research activity is centred around a dynamic group of young researchers
who could secure a promising future for the CGB if permanent positions
can be found for them.
Integration: Significant work is needed to build an interface with the
Quaternary Science and INES research groups.
Infrastructure: Whilst there is state-of-the-art infrastructure in geochronology
(Ar-Ar and C14 dating), elsewhere there could be a need for
significant investment in analytical infrastructure (for example in O and
radiogenic isotope facilities and major/trace element analysis) if the centre
is to realise its research ambitions. Such facilities would need to be supported
by the hiring of appropriately skilled academic and technical staff.
Room for improvement: There needs to be some radical strategic thinking
about the relationship between the research and teaching agendas
and also about future hiring strategies; also about whether there needs to
be a better research base in analytical geochemistry.
3.5 Future potentials and possibilities
Lund Quaternary Science has tremendous potential. Technically it is
one of the most advanced centres of Quaternary and related studies in
the world, with its concentration of key infrastructural resources and
expertise. The hiring of a range of new staff promises innovation, but
there should also be integration around key research areas of national and
international importance. The concern about reliance on basic funding is
to be noted; however, understanding the Earth system and climate change
requires basic and applied approaches and the department is in an outstanding
position to carry out such research. Possibilities for applied research
appear promising via integration and collaboration within INES, where
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themes in Geography overlap (e.g., terrestrial processes in the climate
system, and climate/land-use change impacts on ecosystems and society).
Furthermore, the largely empirical emphasis in Quaternary Science could
be complemented by the modelling capability within INES.
Lund Lithosphere-Palaeobiosphere research has significant potential
within the framework of the new Geobiosphere Science Centre in
providing a Deep Time complement to the research in Quaternary
Science. However to achieve its full potential further radical changes will
be required which will involve more careful focussing of research activities.
These have implications for staffing levels in key areas and the need
to maintain sufficient breadth of expertise to teach the undergraduate
curriculum in Geology.
3.6 Comments at departmental level
3.6.1 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The percentage of degrees awarded to female doctoral students has remained
steady at 35-40% over the past 10 years. The proportion of women
in academic positions is lower and most are represented in the Research
Fellow category, which is not a guaranteed permanent position. There
are no female professors. Ideally, this situation should be improved. The
Faculty states there are programmes in place to enhance the environment
for women and encourage promising young academics, e.g., mentoring,
dedicated funds. However, the current insecurity in the academic job
market, as mentioned in the SWOT, may affect women disproportionately.
3.6.2 Collaboration
Individuals and groups collaborate with other institutions nationally and
internationally and participate in international activities. Staff members
are well networked, and the world-class dating facilities enhance collaboration
within and beyond the University. Staff members have realized
the potential for intra-departmental collaborations that is reflected in the
overlapping interests of research themes.
3.6.3 Research activity and teaching
Academic staff members are active researchers, which feeds into teaching
at all levels. The department produces a steady stream of MS students
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whose thesis projects largely reflect and form part of ongoing research.
A post-graduate studies committee oversees provision of training and
post-graduate courses. They appear to be maintaining numbers in postgraduate
education, despite a European trend of declining interest (no
data on undergraduates).
4. Department of Physical Geography
and Ecosystems Analysis (INES)
4.1 Overall assessment
The current department (from 2002) is a result of a strategic merger of the
former Department of Physical Geography with a group of plant ecologists
from the former Department of Ecology. This merger appears to have led
to re-invention of the department, which is now strongly focused on the
basic understanding of earth-system processes and the human impact on
the earth system, with particular emphasis on terrestrial vegetation. These
themes fit well with future research directions at national and international
level. The department comprises a total staff of 59 (24 academic staff,
11 doctoral students, 24 other personnel), with specific breakdowns by job
title, age, gender and permanency of post as follows.
Academic staff:
Four Professors, mean age 56, 0% female, 100% permanent
Eleven Senior Lecturers, mean age 46, 18% female, 91% permanent
Nine Research Fellows, mean age 38, 56% female, 0% permanent
Doctoral students:
Eleven, mean age 32, 73% female, 0% permanent
Other personnel:
Twenty-four, mean age 42, 33% female, 63% permanent
Using this analysis, the age structure among researchers appears slightly
more balanced than for some of the departments at Lund in the biogeosciences.
There is a recent appointment as an adjunct professor to expand
an ongoing close collaboration between the Swedish Meteorological and
Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and INES. Further appointments concerning
ocean carbon cycling and biogenic volatile compounds / aerosol
measurement are in progess.
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INES is a forward-looking, go-ahead department. Its research is
multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, spans a range of scales, and has a
reputation for being leading edge. The department contains a mix of
experimentalists and modellers, ideal for combining and integrating
process and impact studies.
Overall, the department appears good at winning grants for research
income. This funding stream has increased 2006–2007. The number of
original articles in refereed journals has increased markedly (from 29
to 70) from 2006–2007. Indeed, the publication rate has risen from ~2
per capita to >3 per capita over the reporting period, with the strongest
increase in peer-reviewed academic journals: there is also an increase in
popular science publications. Doctoral exams and thesis publications
have remained relatively steady in the face of declining national/European
student interest (although it is likely that climate change is an area
of greater interest than some others).
The organisation of staff within INES is impressive. Academically, the
department has a ‘flat organisation with the individual researchers as the
basic unit’ that results in the department being ‘more flexible and dynamic
than having divisions’. Six team leaders stimulate cross-fertilisation/
collaboration and aid better co-ordination of applications and future
directions for research. From an administrative viewpoint, INES has a
small administrative team of ten people, including a professional economist,
which now (since 1 Jan 2008) manages the department jointly with
Geology (a total of 50 academic staff). If this works well, this is remarkably
efficient. One aim of this impressive internal organisation is to aid
in increasing and maintaining the department’s position in rankings and
assessments.
Senior academics are active leaders in international research programmes
of multidisciplinary character. INES has the co-ordinating role in a
Nordic Centre of Excellence for the study of the C cycle and its interaction
with the climate system. Members of INES lead 40 national projects,
and are actively participating in 21 EU projects 2003–2007. INES hosts a
Marie-Curie Excellence Team on surface-atmosphere exchange processes.
Basic and applied research is carried out. INES has a high profile within
the wider research community and with the general public. Results have
supported policy initiatives and international climate assessments (e.g.
IPCC, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment). The list of publications is
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impressive: the publications are broad-ranging, international and at the
forefront of the area in a range of high quality journals.
The authors of the self-assessment state that INES is within the top 10%
of similar departments of this type in the world, and this is undoubtedly
correct. The research has world-leading qualities. [It is therefore surprising
that there are no significant prizes or awards (2003–2007), but
perhaps this is because the research lies within a novel discipline].
Overall assessment
Quality: Outstanding
Productivity: Excellent to outstanding
Relevance: Outstanding
Vitality: Outstanding (see Opportunities in SWOT analysis) with
reservations [see Weaknesses in SWOT analysis e.g. is
the future based on one or two key people, there is a
high dependency on short-term external funding (this
may improve with the new funding model based on the
number of teachers), Swedish funding is not promoting
multi-institute projects].
4.2 Research infrastructure
The department has strongly invested in (outstanding) infrastructure
related to quantification of atmospheric gas composition, and landatmosphere
gas fluxes. These areas are strong components of the current
research agenda. The laboratories are well equipped by the department’s
own assessment, with very good special capabilities. The advanced
computer cluster is critical for modelling activities. It is very good that
the experimental chambers have freezing capacity. The department has an
interesting seminar programme, containing international speakers.
4.3 Research quality
Terrestrial processes in the climate system
This focus (ecosystem carbon sink/storage/release at large scales) has
attracted major political attention. The research concerns the sound
scientific basis for implementation of political actions to mitigate climate
change. Another strong research theme is measurement of trace gas
fluxes, including biogenic volatile organic compounds, and their feedbacks
to climate change.
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Quantification of greenhouse gas sources and sinks, emissions, and
feedbacks are critical to earth system science and the understanding of
climate change. The department has a strong international profile in this
area and this research theme has resulted a paper published in Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society in 2007. The Head of Department
leads the Nordic Centre of Excellence for the study of the carbon cycle.
Quality: Outstanding
Productivity: Outstanding
Relevance: Outstanding
Vitality: Outstanding (with reservations)
Vegetation-land surface characterisation
The second theme is less clearly articulated. There is an emphasis on the
LPJ-GUESS vegetation model (originated in Lund) for which the Lund
group deservedly maintains an international reputation. Other current
work includes remote sensing of land cover (data and technique), the
incorporation of remote sensing data and field data, together and separately,
in modelling various land-surface and land-atmosphere processes.
There is clearly much potential for intra-departmental collaboration, but
key questions for this theme are not articulated. Papers are highlighted in
Geophysical Research Letters, Global Change Biology.
Quality: Outstanding in part, but rather dependent on one or two
key people
Productivity: Excellent to outstanding
Relevance: Outstanding
Vitality: Outstanding with reservations
Collaboration
Within the department: ‘New scientific management group is intentionally
set up in order to improve internal interactions’.
Within University: Active collaboration with Departments of Ecology,
Physics, Environmental Sciences and Geology. Collaboration is mostly
in joint research projects and shared PhD students. INES hosts the GIS
Centre for the University of Lund.
International research programmes: Excellent, as detailed above in
Overall Assessment.
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Research activity and teaching
A new curriculum appears to be in operation, based on the department’s
research profile. All bachelors and masters students come into close contact
with high quality research, performed with active research groups.
Permanent research sites are used for field studies for teaching: this is an
excellent idea, benefiting all concerned. Successful international masters’
programmes operate e.g. Joint Nordic Masters’ programme. According
to the self-assessment document, INES is one of the few departments
within the biogeoscience field that has been able to increase the number
of students during the last five years.
4.4 Evaluation of future plans
4.4.1 Promising research directions:
Some of these are in opportunities of SWOT analyses e.g. (1) Linné grant
and joint research effort with geologists, physicists and microbiologists in
a Centre of Excellence on Carbon Cycle and Climate Interactions [Could
include freshwater C balance and thus link with limnology in Department
of Ecology], (2) leading role in SWECIA, a new interdisciplinary
research programme expected to become a national flagship for climate,
impacts and adaptation research and stakeholder support in Sweden, (3)
establish a new research field on marine carbon balance modelling, (4)
Establish collaborations with other centres e.g. Bjerkenes Center for marine
models, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)
and other universities for Earth system models.
(a) Processes and geochemistry-climate feedbacks
in the fully coupled surface-atmosphere system
Paper in Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Ecology
Future plans:
Formulation of plans: Excellent
Integration of plans: Very good
Adequacy of infrastructure: Excellent
Suggested improvements:
How about an integrated research effort
with limnology (freshwater ecology/
hydrology in Department of Ecology) in
relation to the carbon cycle?
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(b) The societal feedbacks on the Earth System. Put together with (c)
because similar to (b).
(c) The impacts of climate / land use change on ecosystems, services and
society
4.4.2 Future plans:
Formulation of plans:
Integration of plans:
Excellent
Very good – seems more risky, little done so
far by this Dept on societal feedbacks
Adequacy of infrastructure: Very good. Excellent within Sweden,
otherwise depends on European
collaboration / funding
Suggested improvements:
Is there any University-provided start-up
money for this subject? Perhaps to help
provide links to Europe?
Future potentials and possibilities
The future strategy unites the current internationally recognized
strengths of the department around an area of global importance: modelling
trace gases within the earth system with an emphasis on terrestrial
ecosystems. The department can also currently deliver on impacts of
change on ecosystem services. To bring in the human dimension would
be excellent and undoubtedly map onto key national and international
priorities, but it is less clear how this would be done (but see suggested
action to merge with Environmental Sciences).
The future strategy should focus on the most interesting and rewarding
avenues of research out of the several highlighted, especially if the
opportunities in the SWOT analysis are included. It is very important
that basic support for lab, field and computing facilities is maintained.
There is a high dependency on external funding within INES, although
the department is very good at gaining this type of support. The fact that
funding within Sweden is not promoting large multi-institute projects
may hinder development of particular themes.
Related questions and comments: What is the future of research at
Abisko Research Station, linked with the future of Abisko Research
Station? What is the future relationship with the Environmental Science
Department?
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4.5 Gender and equal opportunity issues
In INES, there is a familiar, slightly depressing, story of the highest
proportion of females being in non-permanent posts. INES state as a
SWOT opportunity to: ‘Create permanent positions in (narrow) fields
where we have strong female candidates with large potential’. This would
be helpful, but is a ‘quick fix’ in a way. There is a need at Department/
University level to provide as supportive environment as possible to
convert 73% female doctoral students to research fellows to permanent
posts. (Would it be possible for the University of Lund to provide flagship
initiatives within Sweden on this?)
Noted in the self-assessment document, there is a ‘good mix of different
nationalities’ within the department. This appears to be true from the
INES web pages.
5. Biological Museums
5.1 Introduction
We are assessing the botanical and zoological museums on the basis of
their research performance. The museums have other functions. For
example, they house large numbers of specimens, many of them type
specimens, and thereby provide a necessary service for researchers.
The Museums describe in their joint research profile the effort that has
gone into developing their searchable databases. We acknowledge that
has happened, but the databases are not themselves significant research
enterprises in that they are not path breaking and likely to be copied by
others. They have, however, allowed the collections to be accessed by the
worldwide web’s Global Biodiversity Information Facility (gbif).
Another component of the Museums’ research profile is the work performed
on the systematics and taxonomy of two taxa: lichens and dipterans.
This is classificatory work, which needs to be done, but the extent to
which it should be considered primary research is difficult to assess. Our
examination of the publications records of the two museums shows that
while output has increased over the time period, the work is not published
in high impact journals or ones that are widely cited. It can be argued
that taxonomic treatises are scholarly works that will not be referred to
frequently but are invaluable in the much longer-term.
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World-leading museums generally have research scientists of the highest
calibre leading research groups that do work associated with the mission
of the museum. They may work on biological questions related to the
collections (e.g. biogeographic or evolutionary) or on questions relating to
any similar collections (e.g. how best to construct evolutionary trees that
demonstrate phylogenetic relationships).
We believe that it would be wrong to destroy the traditions of taxonomic
or systematic expertise that the Museums have accumulated over many
years, but we also believe that the time has come to determine biological
research questions of international profile that involves, for example,
lichens and dipterans. We note that the average age of the two professors
and three researchers is 63 and 53 respectively. It would seems that a
relatively painless transition period might be envisaged if the appointment
of the new professors involved a panel that was cognisant of the
needs for the museum staff to be involved in internationally-recognised
high-impact research.
5.2 Overall assessment
The two museums hold internationally valuable collections. At present the
research base at the museums is not of high international quality, but with
impending retirements there is the potential for new appointments who
seeks to answer scientific research questions of contemporary interest.
5.3 Research infrastructure
Until new appointments are made it is impossible to say what research
infrastructure will be needed.
5.4 Research quality
The current research quality is insufficient, focusing as it does on classification
and systematics of specific taxa, without addressing broader methodological
issues of systematics or more general evolutionary questions.
5.5 Collaboration
National and international collaborations are in place, but in our view
the collaborations are not the ones necessary for tackling cutting-edge
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scientific questions. For the efficient use of the collections, collaborations
with nearby Danish and other Swedish systematists will be important
5.6 Research activity and teaching
The museums cannot take on their own graduate students and do not
teach their own undergraduate courses, though staff do contribute to
supervision and teaching elsewhere in the University.
5.7 Evaluation of future plans
We found the future plans insufficiently specific for comment. We agree
that DNA comparison for the basis for contemporary phylogeny reconstruction
and a facility in a museum, or access to a facility elsewhere, is
very likely to be necessary. Construction of a new museum is not just
a research question, because the new building will be there to house
collections and give access. Research facilities should be properly incorporated
in the design of the new building and the new professors should be
involved in that design.
5.8 Future potentials and possibilities
The Museums hold internationally important collections with many type
specimens. As such, it should be fairly easy to attract visiting research
workers with dynamic leadership. The research fields of replacement
appointees might be very different from their predecessors: research
excellence should take precedence. However, we feel that part of the
assessment process should involve considerations of continuity, perhaps
involving dipterans and lichens. Research at the Museums seems ready
for revitalisation and the possibilities are only limited by the calibre of
new staff that are appointed.
5.9 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The numbers here are very low, but traditional systematics and taxonomy
has a majority of male scientists. If the research profile of the museum is
broadened, this may provide wider appointment opportunities (male and
female).
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Panel 13 – PHYSICS / MATHEMATICS
PANEL 13 – PHYSICS / MATHEMATICS
CONTENTS
1. Introduction...............................................................................................351
2. Department of Physics................................................................................355
3. Department of Theoretical Physics............................................................. 369
4. Lund Observatory.......................................................................................374
5. Centre for Mathematical Science ...............................................................378
1. Introduction
1.1 General introduction
The panel felt it was a great pleasure to review the physics related activities
at Lund University. Physics is not centred in a single department but
spread over four different departments, where the Department of Physics
by far is the largest, but physics is also included in the Department of
Theoretical Physics, Lund Observatory and the Department for Electrical
Measurement. The evaluation in panel 13 also included the Department
of Mathematics, although that is not directly related to Physics. The
Department of Physics also includes MAX-lab.
The physics related research at Lund University is excellent to outstanding
and is one of the crown jewels of the university. Several groups are not
only at the cutting edge of international research but are setting the
cutting edge. This includes in particular the Lund Laser Centre, the
Nanoscience Consortium MAX-lab and accelerator physics, but also the
combustion physics, high energy physics and computational biology.
1.2 Staff
The Department of Physics and the Department of Theoretical Physics
have outstanding scientists among their staff. These scientists have had
the vision, outlook and skills to create and open new scientific areas and
to attract and educate excellent students and new staff.
The staff of the physics departments is to a large extent educated at Lund
University. This is a special artefact due to low mobility not only present
in Sweden but in all of the Nordic countries. This can potentially be very
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dangerous and lead to inbreeding unless the senior staff and management
are aware of the difficulties and take the necessary precautions. This must
have been the case in the physics sector. The senior staff and the management
have had a careful and strong focus on quality in the selection
and education of the new staff. This has proven successful and new areas
in i.e. combustion physics and nanoscience have flourished. However,
the future job market will be very competitive and there might be a very
serious problem if the quality criterion has to be relaxed in order to get
teaching personnel. This is an issue that needs to be addressed not only by
the University but also by the Government.
Therefore it is mandatory also to hire international staff. The practice of
funding academic staff, including full professors, with a combination of
University and Research Grants money is highly undesirable. This skews
the role of the university in hiring senior staff and could have an adverse
effect on hiring the very best staff. The university should address this
problem urgently. This might become particular urgent in the coming
decade when key staff will retire. There is clearly great merit in replacing
key staff not only promptly, but wherever possible with overlap with the
retiring or leaving member. This not only ensures continuity but also
allows for key skills to be passed on.
1.3 Publications and productivity
The publication record of all departments shows a very high productivity
containing both quality and quantity. The amount of external funding is
very impressive and in the Swedish research system necessary in order to
create new initiatives. A bit of warning here; the amount of external funding
that can be attracted is dependent on having an internally funded
strong base. This base must have a certain proportion of the total budget.
If the external component has too large a proportion of the total budget
strategic planning becomes impossible and research quality suffers.
1.4 Future
The physics groups are very well positioned for future challenges. Some of
the key future research areas are e.g. nanoscience, materials, nanobiosystems,
sustainable energy, free electron lasers and synchrotron radiation,
ultra fast science, LHC, astronomy and computational biology. These are
all areas where the physics groups at Lund University have a strong posi-
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tion and a clear vision for the future. One exception here might be nuclear
physics, where the visions for the future are not so clearly expressed.
One exceptional challenge for Lund University is the ESS and the MAX
IV synchrotron radiation complex. A unique opportunity for Lund
University and the Öresund region exist for attracting a significant
international scientific powerhouse. The visions and plans for the ESS
was not so clearly expressed in the strategy papers received by the panel,
however, during the site visit it became clear the Faculty of Science has just
launched a strategy initiative that will lay out possible plans for the future.
This also includes the potentials of the MAX IV project. Although not
being directly discussed in the papers, MAX IV can be clearly recognised
as a potential international leading facility with synchrotron radiation
properties unsurpassed by any other storage based facility either in
operation or in planning. This concerns in particular the potential of nano
beams. Exploiting this potential requires strategic planning of the faculty
and the university. During the site visit the panel members clearly felt that
a coherent initiative within materials science and within life science needs
to be taken for the benefit of both ESS and MAX IV. This could take
form of two new centres based on present activities within the faculties: A
Materials Science Centre and a Centre for Life Science. The former should
include both synthesis and characterisation activities, where the life science
centre ought to be much broader based than protein crystallography. Both
initiatives could be taken by a wider collaboration in the Öresund region
1.5 Organisation
The organisation of the University seems a bit heavy and the organisation
within physics somewhat complicated as seen from the outside. The panel
had difficulties in understanding the division between LTH and the
Faculty of Science, and whether this created any difficulties. However,
during the site the panel members were convinced that this was not an
issue that seemed to cause any problems on the daily basis. On the contrary,
the joint physics activities were run very smoothly in a collegial way
between the two faculties and actually made collaboration possible that
might not have been possible in an organisation where the walls between
the faculties had been stronger.
The organisational structure in scientific areas seems to be based on
tradition and history. Nano science and solid state physics are spread over
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several divisions and are for instance evaluated jointly in this report. It
makes no sense separating them as they are so interlinked. Whether this
calls for a reorganisation of the physics department is not so clear. The
outstanding quality of the research performed in physics groups at Lund
University indicates that the loose organisation does not hinder excellent
science, but that the good groups are able to work across apparent barriers.
Therefore an incentive based structure could be devised in order to
create more synergies. For instance more synergies between the Department
of Electrical Measurements and the Nanobioscience activities in the
Department of Physics could be an option.
1.6 Gender and equal opportunity issues
It is heartening to note that gender and equal opportunity issues are given
a high priority at Lund University. It is already a step forward that there
is a realization that gender equality is essential for future well being of the
division. Efforts should be made to create better working conditions that
would help in retaining and attracting excellent female PhD students and
scientists. From conversations with junior women in the departments,
it appears that job insecurities, extended years at low level positions, and
lack of mobility in the system, cause a number of women to think twice
about sticking to academic positions in the sciences. This is particularly
true of women of child bearing ages, as they continue to be the fundamental
care givers, despite the fact that Swedish/nordic men are much
more involved in family matters than their counterparts elsewhere. The
availability of paternal leave is fantastic. However, in fields like physics it
is not possible to take a complete break for 6 to 18 months and still retain
a competitive edge. These are subtle issues and require broader discussion,
more flexible working conditions, and supportive environment.
With some concerted thought, it is the opinion of the panel that Sweden
and Lund University can address gender gap issues in relatively short time
in the future. Unlike countries like the US, Sweden already has a basic
frame work which makes it possible for women to assume non-traditional
careers (like professors of physics) if they can work out details that hinder
them at the beginning of their careers and child bearing ages.
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2. Department of Physics
2.1 Division of Atomic Physics
2.1.1 Overall assessment
This active group of 7 professors, 4 other staff members, and a good
number of PhD students carries out world class research centered around
laser spectroscopy with programs ranging from basic atomic physics, to
biomedical optics, quantum optics, time-resolved X-ray diffraction and
high-power laser- matter interaction. The division is participating in
two Linnaeus grants. The overall quality of research as reflected through
publications in high impact journals and pioneering contributions to the
field is outstanding. In several areas such as ultrafast (picosecond) X-ray
studies of lattice vibrations in complex solids, laser applications in biomedical
photonic, and of attosecond quantum stroboscope in measurements
such as the coherent electron scattering, the contributions of the Lund
group are simply seminal. In short, this group can compete favourably
with any other worldwide.
2.1.2 Research infrastructure
This division has access to several large experimental facilities, such as the
Lund High Power Laser Center and MAX laboratory which is engaged
also in the development of the free electron laser. These are state-of-theart
facilities which offer a strong competitive edge to these scientists. The
rating for the infrastructure is outstanding.
2.1.3 Research Quality
The overall research quality of this division is outstanding. An example
is the development of one of the most flexible attosecond pulse sources
in the world that can produce pulses with central energy varying from
20 to 80 eV and duration as small as 130 as, which can be used to probe
ultrafast electronic processes. The group was among the first to carry
out phase determination of electronic wave functions by interferometric
techniques, and capture and control of the motion of electrons using a
“quantum stroboscope” technique. Use of high-order harmonics in the
development of time-resolved imaging techniques is another impressive
achievement. Furthermore, the group’s pioneering work in time-resolved
X-ray diffraction has enabled the examination of the inertial motion
occurring during the first 2 ps when the bonds are severed in a semiconductor.
The group has also participated in the first ground-breaking
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experiments at the Stanford ultrafast picosecond source. The Quantum
Information group within the division has been instrumental in developing
quantum computing and quantum memory hardware based on
rare-earth-ion-doped inorganic crystals.
2.1.4 Collaboration
Senior members of the Division of Atomic Physics appear to have a
number of internal and external collaborations. The Lund Laser Center
infuses interdepartmental collaborations also through Linnaeus programs.
Several European Union grants are also instrumental in promoting
international collaborations. There are existing collaborations with
several groups in the US and very good contacts with the future x-ray
free electron source at Stanford. Furthermore several of the groups have
collaboration with industries and have created spin-off companies. The
efforts of the group in this regard are very good.
2.1.5 Research activity and teaching
The division offers an impressive number of courses in almost all modern
aspects of the research they carry out. This is very impressive as the development
of these courses is by no means trivial. It reflects a commitment
of behalf of the division professors to integrate research and education.
The rating would be excellent.
2.1.6 Evaluation of future plans
Unfortunately, we were not provided with detailed information of the
Division’s future plans. However, given the track record, it is difficult to
imagine that they will not continue to carry out research and education
at the highest levels, provided adequate resources are available. The
combination of the Lund laser center and the upcoming possibilities at
the MAX IV synchtrotron including the ultrafast source look extremely
promising.
2.1.7 Future potentials and possibilities
Given the potential in the group to carry out pioneering research and given
the outstanding research facilities, the panel would recommend that
the group extend its borders further and engage in even more challenging
projects through larger collaborative initiatives. Of course, that would
require acquisition of more funds than presently available.
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2.2 Division of Combustion Physics
2.2.1 Overall assessment
The Division of Combustion Physics is based upon using mainly laser or
optical techniques for fundamental and advanced studies of combustion
processes. The division originates from a successful spin-off initiative
in the Division of Atomic Physics more than a decade ago. The group
has developed a number of new techniques that enable characterisation
of fundamental processes. The group is at the international forefront of
combustion related research and seems to have a well established position.
The achievements are very impressive, considering the size of the group.
The core group consisting of the permanent staff is rather small with only
two professors, but an impressive number of students.
The overall assessment is excellent.
2.2.2 Research infrastructure
The division has the modern advanced laser equipment necessary and
includes also theoretical methods to model chemical reaction. The
division is in particular well off with advanced equipment through the
Lund University Combustion Centre and the Lund Laser Centre. Both
are unique facilities on an international level.
2.2.3 Research Quality
The publication record of the group demonstrates a very high level of
activities. The publications range from papers describing very fundamental
work to more applied work. The standing of the group has been
recognised internationally by i.e. Marcus Aldèn elected as chairman of
the Gordon Research Conference on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion in
2003.
2.2.4 Collaboration
The group is well located within several excellent networks and has
strong ties to the division of atomic physics and the Lund Laser Centre.
The division participates strongly in CECOST and was instrumental
in the creation of Lund University Combustion Centre. Furthermore
the division has collaboration with the combustion-related activities at
Lund University, in particular the Division of Combustion Engines. The
division also has collaboration with industrial partners.
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2.2.5 Evaluation of future plans
The division plans to have stronger activities within renewable fuels.
The plans are not very concrete yet, but it is certainly an area where
basic science and basic understanding is necessary in order to make the
significant large progress that is needed for our future society.
2.3 Division of Experimental High Energy Physics
2.3.1 Background
In the recent past the Division has been involved in experiments at
CERN (DELPHI), at DESY (H1) and at Brookhaven (PHENIX).
This programme is coming to an end and has been replaced by ATLAS
and ALICE at the LHC at CERN and an R&D programme towards a
detector for the International Linear Collider (ILC). On top of this there
is a vigorous programme on Grid computing.
There is no doubt that the past programme of the division has been
of very high quality, the experiments themselves DELPHI, H1 and
PHENIX, are all large international collaborations and are at the
forefront the subject. In each case the Lund group has made essential
intellectual, technical and managerial contributions which certainly are
commensurate with the size of the group involved.
The present programme of ATLAS and ALICE are well chosen. It is clear
that any first rate university particle physics department must have an
important stake in the areas of the subject that appear to maximise the
possibilities of new discoveries leading to new understandings. Therefore
involvement in an LHC all-purpose detector (ATLAS) is a “must”. The
involvement in ALICE follows on from the work on PHENIX, and
addresses the new state of matter – the quark-gluon plasma, a fundamental
question.
Both these programmes are huge international enterprises of which the
Lund group is only a small part (as are essentially all other individual
groups). The pertinent question is not whether the programme is of the
highest international standards (it clearly is), but has the Lund group’s
contribution also been up to this standard? In both cases the answer
is yes. In ATLAS the fairly small group has had impact in hardware,
software and more recently in preparing for the analysis of the truly
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stupendous amount of data. It should also be mentioned that there has
also been a large managerial contribution.
In ALICE an even smaller group has been similarly successful, with a
high profile in the organisation and running of the experiment as well as
in the design and provision of hardware.
A general point should be made here since these collaborations are run on
very democratic lines, having high profile roles in an experiment, such as
deputy spokesperson, chair of the publications board etc., as members of
the Lund group have, clearly indicates the stature and respect that these
physicists have among their peers, who elect them.
Apart from the main experimental areas described above, the group
is involved in developing GRID middleware, again very successfully
judging by the uptake by NORDUGRID and others and also in R&D
for detectors for the future international linear electron-positron collider.
2.3.2 Grading of the recent past and present programme of the Division
of Experimental High Energy Physics (In Department of Physics)
The criteria used are quality, productivity, relevance and vitality and
organisational capacity.
There is no doubt that the “quality”, “productivity” and “vitality” of the
research carried out in Experimental High Energy Physics is outstanding.
The question of “relevance” when interpreted as relevant in this area of
science, ie scientific, technical and cultural rather than clinical, social and
socioeconomic, would also merit on outstanding
2.3.3 Plans for the future
The future plans of the group concentrate on the LHC programme, both
in analysing the data and presumably in upgrading the detectors and for
the more distant future the ILC. This is a very sensible programme and
should keep the group in the forefront of the field for the next 5-10 years,
however they have a very real problem in the fact that two of their senior
researchers will be leaving/retiring very soon, including one who has
spearheaded the b-physics analysis preparation in ATLAS, and another
one within the next two years. This is a large fraction of the senior
members of group. As the group itself points out, it is crucial that these
positions get filled immediately, with first rate researchers.
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The group is a relatively small one by international standards and so the
programme should not be too extensive so that their contribution in
each area is substantial. Never-the-less, there are whole areas of particle
physics that are missing, eg neutrinos and particle astrophysics. It might
be worthwhile to consider joining with the astronomers, as is done
elsewhere, in participating in some astrophysics. Also there is a rather
curious separation between two areas of Nuclear Physics; the quark-gluon
plasma, studied by the Experimental High Energy Physicists and Nuclear
Structure, studied by the Nuclear Physicists. This might be rationalised.
2.3.4 Grading for the future programme
of the division of High Energy Physics
The criteria used are those listed concerning the research plans, research
projects, infrastructure and leadership. The panel would rate their plans
for the future to be very good.
2.4 Division on Mathematical Physics
The division is divided into three groups. In this paragraph the assessment
of the Nuclear Structure Theory group is given, the two other
groups are assessed together with the Division of Solid State Physics.
2.4.1 Overall assessment
The group of Nuclear Structure Theory has over many years been one of
the leading groups in theoretical nuclear physics in Europe. The group
has despite its fairly small size been able to manifest itself in numerous
international collaborations, showing its very high visibility on the
international scene. They have made fundamental contributions to the
field of superdeformed nuclei which has been one of the most important
subjects in nuclear physics in recent years. The members of the group
are constantly invited to international conferences, a very significant
sign of a central international position. It is of course well known to
everybody in the scientific community that the high peak of research in
nuclear physics was in the period 1960-90. However, the field is still very
active internationally and new interesting research topics are constantly
coming up, also touching new exciting areas such as chaotic dynamics
for instance (as mentioned above). At this point one has to remember
that Sweden has many nuclear power plants and given the global energy
situation several new plants might be build. In order to have sufficient
scientific background for such an expansion, theoretical nuclear physicists
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are needed. It is therefore a wise decision to keep the research activity in
Nuclear Structure Theory at Lund University at a good level, to keep its
international position. The age profile of the group is such that a few new
positions are clearly needed in the coming years. The overall rating of this
group lies between very good and excellent, tilting towards excellent.
2.4.2 Research
The main research effort of the group is oriented towards nuclei at their
extremes, i.e. extreme values of angular momentum or isospin. At high
values of angular momenta – rapidly rotating nuclei – the nuclear shape
may be very different from the ground state. For example, the shape may
become superdeformed (long axis to short axis ratio is 2:1) or triaxial (all
three nuclear axes having different sizes), with correspondingly special
modes of rotation. Due to the finite number of nucleons rotational bands
may terminate at some high angular momentum value. At high values of
isospin, i.e. very different numbers of neutrons and protons as compared
to stable nuclei along the beta-stability line, the nucleons may be weakly
bound, and unique quantum phenomena can be studied. In another research
project special effects from chaos in the nucleus are studied. Large
parts of the research are traditionally carried out in close collaboration
with experimental groups in Lund and around the world.
The group has been instrumental in showing that some observed bands
have triaxial superdeformation. In other studies some different features
of these bands were discussed, while the interpretation of bands of this
kind recently discovered in 157,158Er was described as ’a new class of
many-body symmetries describing nuclei at the phase transitional region’.
Other highlights include the study of superdeformed and terminating
bands with a close collaboration with the experimental nuclear structure
group at Lund University and the development of a theoretical model
which exhibits degenerate so called chiral bands, which is a manifestation
of dynamical spontaneous symmetry breaking.
Another important work is the investigation of a possible chaotic component
in nuclear masses which might be one reason why it has so far been
impossible to get a global description of nuclear masses with a mean error
smaller than 0.6 MeV. Using tools from semiclassical physics, a periodic
orbit theory could be developed to describe fluctuations of the BCS
pairing gap in nuclei as well as in other finite many-body systems, where
the chaos/order dynamics was found to be important.
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2.4.3 Research quality
The research of the group has for many years been of high international
level. For example, 8 highly cited articles (> 200 citations) are co-authored
by researchers who are still active at the division. In total, the four
professors have collected over 17000 citations, a really impressive number.
The main results are regularly published in the high ranking journal
Physical Review Letters (11 in total during 2002–2007), and in total 95
papers where published in refereed journals during this time. Two invited
News and Views contributions to Nature have been written by the group.
Members of the nuclear structure theory group are regularly invited
speakers at international conferences, and in the last five years 35 invited
talks have been given.
As mentioned above, the group has steadily over many years published
in high-ranking international journals. The group has an extremely good
publication record, taking its small size into account. In particular they
have an impressive list of publications in recent years in Physical Review
Letters, the highest ranking journal in physical sciences.
Furthermore, for the last five years (2003–2007) the group has obtained a
quite impressive list of external funding which in total amounts to 6 mill
SEK. This is particularly impressive giving the small size of the group.
2.4.4 Teaching
The group has produced 4 master and 3 PhD exams in the last five years,
which is on the low side of what could have been expected.
2.4.5 Challenges for the group.
Experimental nuclear structure physics has a strong support by the
Swedish research council (e.g. the FAIR project at GSI, Darmstadt), and
it is important to match this by a corresponding theoretical support.
Mathematical physics in Lund has an important role to play with its
established strong research in nuclear structure theory that is well coupled
to the experimental groups. Two of the professors of the group will
retire within the next 2–3 years, so new recruitment is recommended.
The group plan to focus on modern nuclear many-body theory including
density functional theory, developments of no core shell models, and
self-consistent mean field theories. Another important focus is the ability
to work in close contact with experimental developments. The division
of mathematical physics has strong activities in many-body theory for
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other types of finite-size systems, such as cold atoms and quantum dots,
as well as in density functional theory. Several methods and ideas can
be transferred between the mentioned fields and the nuclear system
which constitutes another finite-size many-body system. This transfer of
knowledge is already going on, but mainly from nuclear physics to the
other fields. However, utilizing this knowledge transfer in both directions
may provide nuclear theorists in Lund with advantages in international
competitions, where one see a strong development in nuclear structure
theory with new ideas and concepts. One example is the American
initiative (involving more or less all strong American nuclear theorists) to
develop a universal nuclear energy density functional, where the goal is to
be able theoretically to describe and calculate ground-state properties one
order of magnitude better than is possible today. A focused effort from
the Lund side could here make important contributions.
2.5 Division of Nuclear Physics
2.5.1 Overall assessment: Very good
The Division of Nuclear Physics is divided into three rather small groups,
aerosol physics, applied nuclear physics and experimental nuclear physics.
While the two first groups are very focused on applied research, the latter
is involved in cutting-edge research areas within nuclear physics. The
interactions and synergies between the three groups are apparently not
so well established. The experimental nuclear physics group has good
connections to theoretical nuclear structure activities within the division
for mathematical physics. A more in-depth evaluation could maybe have
been able to shed more light on collaboration and network within the
various parts of nuclear physics and high energy physics. However, the
panel suggest that the university considers how more synergies between
the different activities could be obtained for instance by creating new
projects.
One such project is suggested concerning detector development for the
ESS and maybe also for the MAX IV projects. Large, efficient and fast
detectors for photons and neutrons have become the bottleneck at many
facilities and it has been shown to be as important to develop new detectors
as new accelerator beam physics. Hence it is strongly encouraged that
the division of nuclear physics could be a coherent effort to back the ESS
and MAX IV projects, but the projects have to be initiated very soon.
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2.5.2 Aerosol Physics Group
The aerosol physics group is rather small – 2 Senior Scientists, 2 Junior
Scientists and 4 PhD students. The research concentrates on atmospheric
aerosols and negative effects on human health. The Aerosol Group is
locally organised in the Consortium for Aerosol Science and Technology
(CAST), where both the Divisions of Combustion Physics and Solid State
Physics are members and participates in a Nordic Centre of Excellence.
The group is very productive and publishes mostly in geophysical or environmental
journals. The citation rate is high. In the light of collaboration
with international Groups, the research seems to be world-class.
2.5.3 Applied nuclear physics
The AMS group uses the 14Carbon low energy facility established as part
of the accelerator-based research within the Nuclear Physics Division.
This was a pioneering effort at the time the facility was established but by
now it is a rather limited (e.g. compared with the Uppsala facility) but apparently
well used infrastructure, providing services to and collaborating
with many research fields inside and outside the department. It is one of
many AMS facilities around Europe and cannot be considered as a leader
in the field. Nuclear microprobe group activities are based on the 3 MV
Pelletron accelerator providing focused ion beams.
The development towards increased external collaborations for both
groups would be of highest importance to re-establish and maintain the
vitality and attractiveness of the activities in the future. Strong international
collaborations within FAIR and later ESS projects will play a vital role
and will help to complete successfully the generation change.
The participation in FAIR facility will be of vital importance to expand the
department in order to establish the critical mass for the ESS involvement.
2.5.4 Experimental Nuclear Physics
This is the only group in the Division that performs research in the
traditional areas of nuclear physics. The group is active all over the world
participating in accelerator-physics-based experiments. The research is
mainly performed at the international facilities.
The group is also very active and many publications in well respected
journals and has many citations.
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Given the strong use of international facilities, the group has strong ties
to international collaborators and a good network. Internally at Lund
University the group collaborates with the nuclear theory group in the
division of mathematical physics.
The group is very engaged in the upcoming FAIR experiments, where a
great part of the future European nuclear physics will be performed and
where Sweden also is planning to become a member. This will secure the
future research directions for the group.
2.6 Division of Solid State Physics,
parts of the Division of Mathematical Physics
and the Divison on Synchrotron Radiation Research
including the Nanometer Scale Consortium.
Solid state physics and nanophysics is interlinked through many divisions
throughout the Department of Physics. Since the panel is not able or has
not the intention to give an in-depth review down on the level of individuals
the panel has decided to give an overall review of all solid state and
nanophysics.
2.6.1 Overall assessment
This group of professors, other staff members, and PhD students carries
out cutting-edge research mostly in nanoscale semiconductor physics.
They are known worldwide through their work in the optical and
electron transport properties of materials, synthesis and characterization
of semiconductor nanostructures, and the physics of ultra-small semiconductor
structures, including nano-devices and -sensors. Research
in biophysics and photonics is also noteworthy. The overall quality of
research as reflected through publications in high impact journals and
pioneering contributions to the field is outstanding.
2.6.2 Research infrastructure
This division has access to several large experimental facilities, such clean
rooms and characterization and synthesis facilities in the Lund Nanolab.
MAX laboratory is, of course, another important resource. The award of
the Linnaeus in Nanometer Scale Consortium has provided resources for
further enhancement of the research infrastructure. These are state-ofthe-art
facilities which offer a strong competitive edge to these scientists.
The rating for the infrastructure is outstanding.
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2.6.3 Research Quality
The overall research quality of the entire portfolio of activities in Solid
State Physics and Nanoscience under the Nanometer Scale Consortium
is outstanding. In the area of semiconductor nanostructures, the Lund
group was the first to establish that mono-layer sharp hetero-interfaces
can give rise to novel electronic device structures. Their work has provided
new understanding of semiconductor nanowire growth processes
and their control. Their work in the area has also enabled much needed
integration with Si technology. Similarly in the area of nanphotonics
they are renowned for their pioneering work in single quantum dot
spectroscopy, and in the characterization and optimization of the optical
properties of nanowires. They were the first to measure spectroscopically
the photocurrent of a single nanowire. They have also designed a unique
optical method for time-resolved imaging of a vibrating nanowire, which
has opened up new research avenues. By attaining highly tunable artificial
atoms and molecules with semiconductor nanowires and measuring
electron transport in them the group has been able to extend its horizons
to atomic physics and molecular physics. Their discovery of a novel
nonlinear effect of ballistic electron transport in semiconductor branched
structures has found interesting applications in nanodevices. The work
on the physics of spin transport in semiconductor nanostructures with
strong spin-orbit interaction has applications in spintronic devices.
Focused effort in combining bio-physics with nanotechnology has
pioneered work at the chip-level, in nano-scale lab-on-chip applications.
The group has also initiated impressive work in nanolithography.
The Condensed Matter Theory group, starting with Lars Hedin, has
been one of the leading groups in the world in developments of density
functional theory. In particular, the GW approximation and implementation
of time-dependent density functional theory, so relevant to
understanding transport properties of materials (nanoscale and beyond),
are all products of the Lund group. The efforts of this group of theorists
are rated as outstanding.
The surface science group at Lund have also been at the cutting edge
in the field and have been the pioneers in a number of areas. They do
fantastic work using high resolution core level spectroscopy where they
are pioneers in identifying the chemical environments of the atoms and
where on the surface they are located on the surface. This work is very
nicely combined with state-of-the-art STM on surfaces and nano objects
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like nanowires. The group is also entering more in-situ related work investigating
single crystal surfaces under realistic catalytic conditions. This
work show great promises for the future. The achievements of the surface
science group have also been profound because of Maxlab and theoretical
support. In fact in surface and nanoscale science it is difficult to think of
many other institutions anywhere that have played such pivotal roles. The
research profile of the surface science group is thus outstanding.
2.6.4 Collaboration
The Division of Solid State Physics has very strong interactions with other
departments in Lund through the Nanometer Structure Consortium
and through other Strategic Centers funded by SSF. Individuals are also
engaged in collaborations with scientists in several other countries. Collaborative
efforts of this division are very good.
2.6.5 Research activity and teaching
The division offers an impressive number of courses in almost all modern
aspects of the research they carry out. This is very impressive as the development
of these courses is by no means trivial. It reflects a commitment
of behalf of the division professors to integrate research and education.
The rating would be excellent.
In the report there was no indication whether Problem-Based Learning
(PBL) was being used in the division. It would be a good idea to implement
this, as has been done in other divisions of Physics.
2.6.6 Evaluation of future plans
As is to be expected the future research plans of the division and the
consortium involve continuation of prime quality research in the areas
already familiar to them and in which they are among the best in the
world. The proposed work in the growth of complex heterostructures
and 3D branching structures to create novel materials and self-assembled
neural-network model structures is to be commended. Further investigations
of transport and optical properties of low-dimensional structures
to investigate spin transport and excitonic properties are also very timely.
The efforts in nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and nanobiophysics should
also continue to provide the researchers with competitive edge. Given
that the group is already accepted as pioneers in the types of work that
they have carried out, they might want to broaden their areas of expertise
by extending their research beyond semiconductors to provide themselves
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with further opportunities in novel materials. This statement should be
taken only as positive criticism.
2.6.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The proposed research on high quality quantum dots leading to experiments
on individual quantum objects is one example of the tremendous
potential of researchers in this division and consortium. High quality
innovative work is to be expected from the group and should be financially
supported.
2.7 Division of Accelerator Physics
and Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation.
The accelerator physics research and teaching at Lund University is one of
the very few places where a student can get an education in this field. This
is a unique asset for Lund University and is recognized internationally as
such.
Overall assessment: Outstanding
2.7.1 Research Infrastructure
MAX-Lab is an important asset for the accelerator physics research and
education. Lund University’s strong involvement and interest in the
accelerator based large research facilities such as MAX IV and ESS make
this field strategically important and a prime candidate for the near-term
reinforcement and expansion.
2.7.2 Research Quality
The accelerator physics research carried out in the department and at
the MAX-Lab is of the highest standing and enjoys wide international
recognition. Pioneering concepts developed here have for years enjoyed
that highest degree of flattery – being copied and implemented in other
facilities around the world.
2.7.3 Collaboration
Intra-departmental collaboration between the Lund Laser Center and
the MAX-Lab in both the accelerator physics and synchrotron radiation
instrumentation is a union blessed in heaven. It has the potential to
become a model internationally of how to approach the future light
source development. With this combination Lund University has the
unique potential to become a world leading center for development of
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the laser-based new techniques and methods into the X-ray domain.
Strong international collaborations with e.g. FERMI Free Electron Laser
in Trieste, as well as with a large number of the synchrotron radiation
centers around the world have placed MAX-Lab firmly on the world map
of light sources.
2.7.4 Research activity and teaching
The accelerator R&D is tightly coupled with the MAX-Lab facilities. It is
a very attractive place for a student who is interested in accelerator physics
and many have been drawn to Lund, coming not only from Europe, but
also from the Americas and Asia.
2.7.5 Evaluation of future plans
The plans for MAX-IV are truly innovative and represent one of the most
advanced and audacious approaches world-wide to the development of
future synchrotron light sources. Storage-ring-based light source with a
record brightness is complemented by an FEL to be run using the same
linear accelerator that is used as an injector for the MAX IV ring.
2.7.6 Future potential and possibilities
The future plans involving the MAX IV project is certainly an area to
be strongly recommended for investments in the next 5 years. Suitable
replacement of the soon-to-be-retired accelerator physics chair should
be given a very high priority. Furthermore, an additional tenure track
professorship in accelerator physics will help to meet better the growing
needs in this sector.
2.7.7 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The MAX Lab has traditionally been a very open place, where students
from all over the world and of both genders could truly enjoy equal
opportunity in education and research.
3. Department of Theoretical Physics
3.1 Division of Computational Biology and Biological Physics
3.1.1 Overall assessment
The group of Computational Biology and Biological Physics is one of
the most visible and active groups not only at the science faculty of Lund
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University but also in Sweden as a whole. In fact, it is also very visible
within the European scientific community. The group is fairly new as its
research topics are new but it has through extremely hard and focused
work over the last ten years managed to built up to a group of the highest
international standards. This effort has undoubtedly been very elaborate
– it is not easy to start from scratch in a new and still not completely
well-defined field – but the head of the group has done a fantastic job
to put this effort on the international scene. There are several aspects of
fundamental importance to a successful research effort of high standards
where the group has performed on the highest level. These include
publication record, external funding, collaborations, interdisciplinary
engagements, new research-based courses, and so on. One might speculate
that very few groups within the Swedish scientific community can show a
similar impressive record. By the very definition of the research field of the
group the effort has a strong interdisciplinary record. There is no question
that the group in the coming years will put itself in a very strong position
at Lund University, in the core between physics, biology, computer science
and medicine. There is also no question that this is one of the groups that
will point to a bright future. However, in order to maintain the steam, the
group needs new positions. The group has educated excellent young researchers
that have been on successful post-doc positions in USA for instance.
Some of these promising scientists ought to come back to the group. It is
important that the group takes advantage of this opportunity by incorporating
the networks that each individual has built up in USA and Europe.
This could be extremely useful in the years to come. There is no question
that this group will be one of the leading groups at Lund University in the
coming decade. The overall rating of this group is outstanding.
3.1.2 Goals for the group
The group has for many years tried to create an integrated environment
between scientists with computational and biomedical skills, covering:
1. Different levels of resolution ranging from atoms, molecules, network
motifs to entire pathways to organs and organisms.
2. Both pure biological problems and their translation to the clinical
reality.
3. A variety of species ranging from E. coli, A. thaliana to mouse and
human. In addition, state-of-the-art toolboxes have been maintained
and further developed and, very importantly, been disseminated to
the biomedical community.
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There is no question that this program will generate ground breaking
research results. In part, this is due to the enthusiasm and energy that
a new generation of scientists will feel being part of the computational
revolution within biology and also when extrapolating the excellent
track record of the senior investigators. It is a cross-disciplinary engagement
where this group will take a lead. It is conceivable that during the
next ten years, the field will gradually percolate into different biomedical
areas as a new generation of scientists being trained in a dual way
emerges.
3.1.3 Productivity
The computational biology group has an extremely good publication
record seen over the last 5–7 years. They have published in the absolutely
highest-ranking journals within the field of biological physics and biology,
such as ”Nature Medicine”, Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, and PLoS Biology. Furthermore, one notices that the group
has a long list of collaborators both from the physical, biological and
medical sciences. Clearly, the group has been extremely active in pursuing
collaborative efforts outside their group, both in Sweden and in other
countries all over the world.
The group has received an impressive series external grants in recent years
and at present roughly 60–70% of the group funding is external. Clearly
the group has been extremely active in pursuing external support. The
very high success in obtaining external grants both indicates that the research
topics of the group are of fundamental timely importance and that
the group has excellent judgement in applying to those sources. Currently
the group has around ten external grants.
3.1.4 Teaching
The computational biology group has produced a good list of PhD
students in recent years. Clearly the group has the potential to attract
very good students. The students educated in the group do very well
afterwards, going for post-docs abroad or going into industry. Already,
some of their previous students are back in the group after very successful
post-doc periods abroad.
Furthermore, the group participates vigorously in undergraduate teaching
both in the physics major programme and also in the biocomputing/
bioinformatics niche sector.
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3.1.5 Challenges
The field of Computational Biology and Biological Physics is in these
years being expanded at basically any university in the world and as such
it is one of the most competitive disciplines presently in science. It is
simply hard to get the very best people in the field as there is almost an
infinity of possibilities for young researchers. One major challenge for the
group is therefore an international recruitment on post-doc and junior
faculty levels. The group needs constantly to monitor its research directions
such that a healthy balance is maintained between pure modeling
work and collaborative activities with their biomedical partners.
Whereas one at first sight might get the impression that the group should
be organized within a biomedical department, it might be an advantage
neither to the group nor to the university for the following reasons: (i)
computational biology is a field with an identity that might get lost in
huge biomedical organizations; (ii) it is crucial to recruit young mathematics/physics
majors at an early stage; (iii) it is also important that the
group’s association with the physics part of the university occurs through
theoretical physics and not through applied physics. In the latter case less
appreciation of wider subjects like computational biology is expected.
Within a theoretical physics department the group benefits from a wide
interest in modeling and conceptual science in general.
3.1.6 Collaborations
This group shows an impressive interdisciplinary aspect of its activities.
The group has strong collaborative efforts in biology, medicine and
computer science. In fact, more than most groups in the world working
on biological physics this group has shown a great ability to be engaged
in medical research, almost at the clinical level. They have attracted
substantial grants in order to pursue this effort. That is very impressive
indeed. For the coming years this interdisciplinary effort will undoubtedly
be expanded. Based on the research record of the group, one
can imagine a huge umbrella of future projects with other faculties,
the number of projects only being limited by the lack of sufficient
man-power in the group. Among the very strong Scandinavian groups
in biological modeling and bioinformatics outside Lund one should
mention Stockholm, Uppsala and Copenhagen. In comparison, Lund is
extremely well suited as a site for a computational biology programme.
As is the case for the other sites, the research quality is excellent. However,
Lund stands out when it comes to well balanced and integrated
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modeling and bioinformatics activities ”under one roof” and with a huge
network of associated biomedical groups located within 5 minutes from
the department.
3.2 Division of Theoretical High Energy Physics
The past, present and future programme of the division of Theoretical
High Energy Physics is in the field of strong interaction phenomenology,
ie challenging theoretical (or model) calculations with data. This is in two
areas, firstly in the development of QCD-based models for multiparticle
production, eg at HERA or LHC, and secondly in the study of nonperturbative
effects, ie at lower energies, using effective field theory methods.
In the area of QCD models for multiparticle production, the Lund group
initially under Anderson, produced the early Monte Carlo based event
generators (the Lund model) which allowed easy comparisons between
the model and data. These event generators have over the years become
much more sophisticated and are essential tools not only for analysing
data but also for designing detectors, ie they are used in simulations. It is
very gratifying that the Lund group continues to be at the very forefront
of this essential activity, producing the world’s generator of preference
– PYTHIA. The influence of this work and the deep understanding
integral to it cannot be overemphasised. The group is also providing an
excellent service to the community of users.
There is no doubt that this is outstanding.
The study of nonperturbative effects in the strong interaction using chiral
perturbation theory is also an area of excellence. The group is small but
it has players at a World level and the work of the group is influential and
very well regarded. Again this ticks all the boxes for outstanding.
Clearly this phenomenology group is outstanding and there will be a
need for the development of both areas in the years ahead. The mark for
the future plans of the group is excellent.
From the above assessments it is clear that these activities in Particle Physics
both experimentally as well as theoretically do great credit to Lund
University and strengthening them in the future should be an option
which the University should consider.
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4. Lund Observatory
4.1 Introduction
The Lund Observatory staff is relatively small, 12 FTE researchers, with
half the total at professorial level. Income is dominated by contributions
from “Government Faculty” and “Grants for Research”, with undergraduate-related
income just 10% of the total. From the information
provided, the Observatory apparently no longer maintains a traditional
observational programme employing its own facilities. Such an approach
is the norm for many small research departments and the staff have access
to world-class optical/infrared facilities through Sweden’s membership
of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Nordic Optical
Telescope (NOT).
Within Europe, many larger astronomical departments/observatories
maintain significant national facilities, or, now, more commonly, are
involved in development and construction of instrumentation for major
international telescopes and satellites operated by organisations such as
ESO and the European Space Agency (ESA). Within the last two decades
there has also been a growth in the number of relatively small astronomical
groups/departments. Such new groups have generally combined the
acknowledged benefit of i) providing “astro”-elements to the teaching
of physical sciences at undergraduate level, often within a larger physics
department, with, ii) the ability of active astronomical researchers to
secure research funding from national science research council sources.
Often, the research focus is one of exploitation of data provided by
international and national facilities through the (relatively) modest level
of funding required to cover postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. students
along with departmental overheads. Given the absence of any significant
experimental programme, such a funding model has proved viable in
many universities.
Lund Observatory is relatively small but does not have access to a government-funded
source of funds for exploitation research that is adequate to
employ postdoctoral researchers. Neither does the Observatory possess
the scale, or the funding, necessary to provide a significant contribution
to major international instrumentation projects. Thus, there is a difficulty
of positioning the Observatory’s research activity in order to make a substantial
international impact. A recent positive development has been the
success of the Observatory in attracting European Union (EU) –funded
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postdoctoral researchers. Such success is undoubtedly a good thing but
does not result in any significant income over and above that necessary to
fund the salary and (some of the) directly associated costs associated with
the young researcher.
4.2 Nature of the research
The Observatory’s research activity is broken down, using its own categorisation,
into three areas: Observational and Theoretical Astrophysics,
Atomic Astrophysics, and Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments.
The Observational and Theoretical Astrophysics (OTA) group has seen
recent appointments at senior and junior/postdoctoral level. The personnel
are probably at the point of achieving critical mass, with research
activity in key research areas for the subject and publications of a high
international standard. An individual of the highest reputation has a key
involvement in the ESA Gaia space-mission. The associated expertise
is critical to the success of the mission and it is encouraging to see the
activity billed as part of the OTA group, albeit that the highly technical,
and long term, nature of the activity does not readily lend itself to
exploitation science for probably the best part of a decade. It is probably
fair to say that the OTA group most closely follows the model of activity
in many small European astronomy departments without a significant
instrumentation programme.
The Atomic Astrophysics group consists of just two active academic
personnel and offers a complete contrast. The fundamental nature of
the research, providing reference data for use, via various international
databases, throughout astrophysics has an extended history and represents
one of the very few experimental branches of what is a predominantly
observational science. The Lund Observatory experimental programme is
very rare indeed within Europe. It is fair to say that a large fraction of the
modern astrophysical community is pleased to see such research to improve
fundamental data undertaken. That said, the recognition accorded to such
activity is limited and in a number of countries it has proved difficult for
groups to secure adequate funding in competition with more high-profile
research activity. The Lund Observatory group has experimental collaborations
with other facilities associated with the University and there is some
indication of, an important, linkage between the specific experimental
programme and research topics of current interest within astrophysics.
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The Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments group has punched
well above its weight for an extended period. The group made a major
contribution to one of the two independent design studies for the next
pan-European optical telescope facility undertaken under the auspices
of ESO. Now the group is under contract to provide expertise in what is
effectively the “Phase A” study for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)
facility that, realistically, should see completion (or first light at least)
around 2020. However, once the project moves from the initial study
phase to development and fabrication, activity will be concentrated
within industry and at large astronomical departments/observatories. It is
unclear how a very small group will participate effectively in such a huge
project. The age structure of the group is also such that retirements must
surely also be a feature at around the time (2010-2012) that the present
commitments to the ELT design programme are likely to end.
4.3 Publication/Reputation
Astronomical research, although modest in scale compared with many
other branches of science, is a truly international enterprise, in terms
of collaboration, access to facilities and publication. Lund Observatory
participates generally in such international interactions but there would
be something very seriously awry if such were not the case.
The Observatory has been very successful in maintaining an international
presence in several different areas, particularly given the small number
of academic personnel. The quality of the three primary research groups
falls predominantly in the excellent category. There is some activity
that would fall in the very good category but an equal fraction of the
Observatory’s output would probably rate an outstanding.
The mix of activity is somewhat unusual and two of the three main
research groups, Atomic Physics and Telescopes and Instrumentation,
participate in research fields that are widely regarded as very important but
that result in a relatively small number of publications that receive relatively
few citations. Given the make-up of the research activity, the productivity
is certainly very good, with a few elements achieving an excellent.
The number of postgraduate students is modest but the best products of the
Observatory’s programme are competitive with those of the very top institutions
in Germany and the United Kingdom (and likely other countries).
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4.4 The Future/Questions
The SWOT documentation is necessarily brief but does make reference to
likely changes in the research profile.
OTA: is making impressive headway in becoming a self-sustaining “exploitation”
research group. Attracting external researchers, such as EU
Marie Curie fellows, as has recently been the case, will certainly help.
There must potentially be a real opportunity to increase interaction with
the Theoretical Physics department, increasing the research activity, in the
“extreme objects” area for example, to the benefit of both sets of researchers.
Atomic Astrophysics: has strong links with other facilities within the
University but the research apparently involves just two current academic
staff at the Observatory. It is not immediately clear what level of support
the programme requires from among “Other Staff”. There are a number
of strong arguments for maintaining a research programme in the field
but the future must be unclear given the present scale of the effort. What
are the plans for the future?
Telescopes and Instrumentation: has achieved an impressive level of
involvement with the preparations for the major next generation international
ground-based optical/infrared facility. In the short term the
work will continue but in the medium term the combination of the age
structure of the group and the end of the initial development phase of the
ELT raise questions concerning the future of an internationally competitive
programme at the Observatory. What are the plans for the future?
The panel have genuinely become more impressed with the achievements
of the Observatory as it has explored the broad range of research undertaken
over the last decade, particularly given the relatively small number of
academic personnel. As outlined above, there must be significant questions
concerning the future of two of the three main sub-groups making
up the current research profile. The answer to the questions may well be
positive; for example, the Atomic Astrophysics group may strengthen
ties with other experimental facilities/activity within the University and
further develop the linkage between the fundamental data obtained and
the interests of the theoretical astrophysicists at the Observatory as the
way to ensuring the future of the research.
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On the other hand, the SWOT submission, and the Faculty summary
of likely future “mergers” of the smaller departments, makes reference
to establishing closer ties between the Observatory and both Theoretical
Physics and the much larger Physics department. The present level of personnel
resource at the Observatory is likely to be inadequate to embrace
major new research areas. However, there may be significant scope for
developments in inter-disciplinary fields. Perhaps the most obvious of
these, in terms of activity world-wide, would be astro-particle physics and
the questions of the origin and nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Is there any interest/ambition within Theoretical Physics or Physics in
pursing such research in concert with the Observatory personnel?
The overall assessment of Lund Observatory is excellent.
5. Centre for Mathematical Sciences
5.1 Introduction
The center seems to be a rather fractured patchwork. It consists of 2 main
patches with largely little interaction: The groups from LTH and from
NF. NF in itself is homogeneous in the sense classical pure math departments
are. LTH consists of the ”Applied and Industrial Mathematics”
group (AIM), the Statistics group, the Numerical Analysis group and
some more pure mathematicians from analysis, geometry and algebra.
However, the panel found visible interactions between AIM, Statistics
and Analysis. Of course, in education there is much cooperation, but
again only inside LTH. The teaching load there seems to be much higher.
The numbers found were not always coherent, but roughly, the employee
relation between LTH and NF is 3:1, for the students to be taught 3:1,
the total income is 5:2, where the research funding from LU is 1:1. Even,
if these figures are not exact, they point to the fact, that something is out
of balance; for sure, the research funding for LTH is too low.
5.2 Mathematics at the Faculty of Science
The division once had several famous, outstanding mathematicians,
including a Fields medallist. An attempt to follow up this great tradition
has turned out to be problematic, in the sense that two of the recently
employed very good mathematicians have left, or are about to leave (this
is not visible from the report!). But still, the remaining group is, without
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any doubt, scientifically very good, has many international contacts and,
in any meaning, earns the research support it gets from Lund University.
As already said, there seems to be no interaction with LTH. Why this is
so – and it is certainly not generic – cannot be seen from the reports.
5.3 Applied and Industrial Mathematics at LTH
This group has some homogeneity, mainly driven by exterior projects.
The computer vision group is very strong, also at an international scale;
it is well known, also outside of Sweden. AIM has a high teaching load,
does obviously very good teaching and keeps nevertheless active research
on interior and exterior projects. It interacts with Statistics and with
Analysis at LTH; it is hard to understand, why no cooperation is seen
with the Numerical Analysis Group.
5.4 Numerical Analysis group
They are internationally well visible, but in our opinion, the group is
far too small to cover this area, which has become so extraordinarily
important for science and technology. That there is no larger activity in
”scientific computing” at a university like Lund is not understandable.
Maybe, the size of the group is an obstacle to more cooperation.
5.5 Statistics group
The statistics group has been top in Swedish statistics, but has also lost
some of its best people by retirement or by moving to other places. It has
good cooperation with image processing in AIM. As all groups at LTH,
they have high teaching loads, which, again, may be responsible for the
loss of quality due to loss of people (which, obviously, could not be fully
compensated). Also Statistics does an excellent job in teaching, keeping
its research activities going.
5.6 Analysis group
The Analysis group at LTH, mainly dealing with dynamical systems and
partial differential equations (pde), is good, but again rather isolated,
in spite of the fact that pde normally has many applications in industry.
Algebra and Geometry are even more singular patches and we assume,
that they are mainly there to deal with the teaching load.
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5.7 Overall assessment
The current state of the Centre of Mathematics gives the impression of a
loosely connected collection of individuals and individual groups. Some
of them have been outstanding, but have lost capacity during the last
decade. Some are still very good, but have to fight with other burdens.
There is surprisingly little contact between them, even if this would be
easily possible. A restructuring of the Centre of Mathematics, thinking
carefully about what is necessary for a good education, what may be the
main topics, which cooperate with each other and, at the same time, can
get or maintain international reputation, seems to be really necessary.
In spite of the loss of outstanding analysts, classical mathematical analysis
still maintains a strong position in Lund, as in Sweden in general. But
even here, the combination of these fields at the Centre of Mathematics
seems to be accidental. Some fundamental disciplines such as topology,
algebraic geometry, and logic are missing. Some central disciplines for
application, which are also missing, are for example stochastic analysis,
which would provide a natural link between statistics, probability and
measurement theory, functional analysis, mathematical physics, mathematical
biology and mathematical finance. We believe, that research and
cooperation within the MC and with the whole LU would, in the long
run, benefit from the inclusion of such central mathematical disciplines.
In the applied field, the panel miss mainly scientific computing as an
extension of Numerical Analysis, and miss a stronger group on mathematical
modeling, which could interact with scientific computing in developing
simulations etc. Optimization is also an important area not well
represented at the Centre of Mathematics. All these fields are also crucial
for a better interaction with other departments and centres.
It is an important principle, that teaching and research belong together
at all schools and institutions at good universities. Therefore, it is recommended
that Lund University abolishes the pure teaching positions, and
that all faculty positions have approximately equal commitments to both
teaching and research. Moreover, they should all be provided with good
working conditions for the research. Too high teaching loads reduce the
quality of the university.
The financial support for research should be made approximately the
same for all faculty members of the same rank, especially independent
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whether they originally come from NF or LTH. This will be an important
step towards a real unification for the two former faculties, which
today seem to be frozen in an almost hostile relationship.
Lund University has been a jewel in the Scandinavian Mathematical
landscape; it is still strong, but weakened. We believe that restructuring,
strengthening new fields which trigger cooperation and another distribution
of necessarily more money is crucial to turn the present trend around.
6. Department of Electrical Measurements
6.1 Introduction
The Department of Electrical Measurements is rather small compared to
e.g. the Department of Physics and is located at LTH. The department
consists of two groups described below. The staff of the department has a
broad background involving many scientific disciplines enabling interdisciplinary
collaborations in particular of a medical character. This is a real
strength that has must be maintained.
The Department is not located near the other physics-related activities.
According to the impression the panel got there are no plans to coordinate
all the presently-separate nanoscience and nanotechnology activities at the
University. For instance it was not clear to the panel whether the possible
synergies between the nanoscience activities in the Department of Physics
and Department of Electrical Measurements had been fully exploited.
The overall assessment is very good.
6.2 Nanobiotechnology group
The research in the group is concentrated on mind-controlled prosthetics
and neural probe technology, Lab-on-a-chip, microacoustics and microfluidics
and nanobiology and clinical proteomics. The group is small
to medium sized consisting of one professor, three associate professors,
four senior scientists and seven PhD students. The group has adequate
research facilities such as a clean room, a laser lithography system, a
bioanalytical laboratory and a proteomics mass spectrometer. The group
wants to exploit the new opportunities resulting from the creation of the
Biomedical Centre, which should be strongly encouraged.
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The group has a long record of achievements, particularly in microreactors,
application to microdispensing of methods based on ink-jet
technology, low-volume high-sensitivity mass-spectrometry bioanalysis
and proteomics research, ultrasonic standing-wave cell separation in
blood washing and fractionation and in stem cell separation. The group
does front line work on lab-on-a-chip mass spectrometry, where two staff
members are international leaders
6.2.1 Quality
It is pleasing to note that the Lund Nanobiotechnology Group was given
top ranking in the Swedish Research Council’s 2003 Biotechnology Evaluation.
Lund’s expertise in ink-jet technology is the basis of the Group’s
high-quality research into microdispensing and related devices. There is
also internationally-leading research into lab-on-a-chip mass spectrometry.
6.2.2 Productivity
The group is not large (8 academics and 7 students), so it would not be
realistic to expect productivity to be high except in the research areas in
which the Group is specialised. However, judged on the number of publications,
invitations for lectures and conferences, the group does very well.
6.2.3 Relevance
“Nanobiotechnology” is a highly topical subject. Practically every major
university has initiatives in this area, many of which have involved very
substantial investments. In this context, the Lund nanobiotechnology
activity is rather small (see, for example, the London Centre for Nanotechnology
– a joint venture of Imperial College London and University
College London – www.london-nano.com – which occupies a large
purpose-built facility and which accommodates a wide range of biotechnology
research). Potentially, nanobiotechnology will have considerable
scientific, social and socioeconomic significance and it might be sensible
for the activities not only at Lund but also in all the Swedish universities
to be combined into a virtual centre in order to coordinate the national
effort so as to be internationally competitive.
6.2.4 Vitality and ability to manage research
It is apparent that the morale of the Group is adversely affected by
recruitment difficulties and an underlying sense of insecurity caused by
the impossibility of long-term planning and the perceived failure of politicians
to appreciate the strategic significance of their work. Despite this,
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however, they are doing good work and seem to be much encouraged by
the opportunities opened up by the new Biomedical Centre.
6.3 Ultrasound/Biomedical Engineering Group
This group is small consisting of one Professor, one Professor Emeritus,
one Associate Professor and two Assistant Professors. The group concentrates
on (i) vessel wall characterisation: the Group was the first to
observe and measure longitudinal arterial wall movements and on (ii)
blood perfusion and pressure measurements using micorbubbles. Other
activities are within dolphin sonar studies
6.3.1 Quality
As a result of the pioneering of echocardiology at Lund, the Group has
a longstanding and preeminent position in medical ultrasonic research.
Current work of arterial wall characterisation is internationally-leading.
The dolphin work is in what is currently a rather neglected niche. The
research aspirations of the Group have been too vaguely described to
allow any more in-depth evaluation of quality.
6.3.2 Relevance
Clinical ultrasonic diagnostic examinations are second in number only to
traditional X-radiography and so the technique is hugely important.
6.3.3 Vitality and ability to manage research
It must be difficult to maintain the momentum of a small Group of
researchers with a 50-year history of achievement in a single field of research.
In view of the socioeconomic importance of medical ultrasound,
perhaps there would be a good case for introducing some “new blood”,
without in any way negating the immense value of the existing expertise
built up over very many years.
It seems to be likely that there is a huge amount of research at Lund
which qualifies as “biomedical engineering”, in addition to that being
carried out by this Group. It would be interesting whether there is any
plan to bring it together into a coherent virtual or real centre.
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PANEL 14 – CHEMISTRY
CONTENTS
1. Preference............................................................................................... 384
2. Department of Chemistry........................................................................ 384
3. Department of Chemical Engineering....................................................... 401
4. Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition.................... 406
5. Additional Report on the Department of Immunotechnology...................412
1. Preface
At its plenary meeting, it became clear to the Panel, that the information
received was not sufficient to make the evaluation. It required
information concerning: (a) the structure of research and (b) some
synthesis information on dimension and productivity. Relevant material
was subsequently provided, whilst the Panel also conducted their own
separate enquiries. The Panel regretted not being able to evaluate and
highlight individuals, but being asked to focus on a more general level,
i.e. evaluating research areas and groups. Such a general evaluation might
cause a perfunctory report and can easily hide outstanding scientists, who
are member of a group doing “mediocre research”, or scientists with a
low productivity and not receiving scientific attention may be concealed
in a group doing excellent research. Based on the material provided, and
especially under the conditions that no individuals should be addressed
in the evaluations, the Panel felt that its assessments could not have been
as thorough as it would have wished.
2. Department of Chemistry
2.1 General
The Department of Chemistry is currently in a state of reorganization
involving a merger of a large number of divisions into 4 main units
having the following 12 divisions:
1. Basic chemistry: Divisions of Organic Chemistry, and Polymer and
Material Chemistry, and part of Analytical Chemistry.
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2. Physical and Theoretical Chemistry: Divisions of Physical Chemistry
1, Theoretical Chemistry, and Chemical Physics.
3. Biotechnology: Divisions of Biotechnology, Applied Microbiology,
and Pure and Applied Biochemistry.
4. Center for Molecular Protein Science: Divisions of Biophysical
Chemistry, Molecular Biophysics, and Biochemistry, as well as one
group from Analytical Chemistry.
Partly for historically reasons, the structure of the Chemistry Department
is complex since chemistry is done both at the faculty of science and
that of engineering. This has led to a large number of groups and some
duplications in teaching and research. Clearly, it is essential that these
activities are now combined and first measures have been undertaken to
concentrate and to optimize the respective activities. Currently, 12 units
are defined according to the web page, 9 research areas are given as the
most successful ones according to the science reported, and the 4 large
units enumerated above are planned for the future.
Even though the Department of Chemistry at Lund University (KILU) is
a very large one (with more than 100 faculty members), the Panel has the
impression that certain important areas of chemistry are not encompassed
in any of the given structures.
The “basic chemistry” unit is not a research direction and as it is currently
constructed (as seen by the people assigned to it), it will remain
an agglomeration of all those people who do not fit neatly into the other
three units! We do not believe that this is in the long-term interests of
chemistry at Lund. Organic and inorganic chemistry are major fields
of chemistry and they are the basis for nearly all other activities. They
cannot be reduced to a part which, it seems, in future will cover just basic
teaching requirements. This seems to us to be very unusual in such a large
chemistry department with more than 50 professors and a total of 109
academic staff.
In general, the KILU has a strong bias towards biology and biotechnology,
as well as in understanding basic chemical processes. The tendency
may be rather too strong and one has to make sure that competence
in classical chemistry (e.g. organic, inorganic and material chemistry)
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remains high enough and of high scientific quality addressing also new
areas in research (not just focusing on teaching). These research areas are
of utmost importance for a chemistry department and for the development
of attractive collaborations with the industry and society as well as
for attracting excellent students. Otherwise, the future development of
KILU will be in danger, since life science might just take over. Chemistry
has to be a strong partner in life science bringing in the core chemistry
(possibility to combine synthetic chemistry with biology) and a materials
part, as well as the basic understanding of chemical processes. It must
guard against possible mutation itself into life science and biology. In this
regard the Panel is also concerned about the plans for building a highclass
mammalian cell lab in a chemistry department, with the involvement
of the faculty members.
KILU has been, and is still to a substantial degree, highly research
productive in several fields. The strong research fields at KILU include
chemistry at the borders with biology and physics: biophysical and
physical chemistry, molecular biophysics and chemical physics that taken
together, address various fundamental problems related to biological
functions. There is also a strong research in computational chemical methodology,
to some extent in material chemistry, and in various fields of
biochemistry and microbiology, and their more technologically oriented
disciplines.
KILU has a unique profile with, on one hand outstanding scientific
competence in the fundamental physico-chemical core, and on the
other, a strategic strength in a number of interdisciplinary directions,
from biochemical and analytical methodology devoted to life and
environmental sciences to solid-state and material chemistry connected
to nano-science.
Many of these fields are characterized by “measuring and calculating
properties” of molecules using highly advanced and sophisticated equipment
and computers.
KILU has enviable “Special Resources” which have, and will provide researchers
at Lund University with world-leading scientific equipment. The
MAX-lab, NMR, nCHREM and ESS are outstanding and the quality of
the research done across the board in these “Special Resources” is clearly
world class. Moreover, their existence greatly facilitates collaborative
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research and associated opportunities, like advanced teaching, within
the four defined units. These “Special Resources” place KILU at the very
highest level of attainment and potential.
KILU has also a good profile in the organic synthesis of biologically
active compounds and those with other specific functions. However, the
number of scientists devoted to preparative chemistry is very limited.
Thus, there is an imbalance between research performed to “measure
and calculate molecular properties”, compared to efforts carried out for
“making molecules”.
2.2 Major structural issues
We believe that KILU has a number serious problems:
Faculty age
The numbers of professors and their mean age (57 y) have increased by
20% since 2000. The Panel has been informed that the increase is due
to an internal promotion of mainly lecturers. In the same period the
numbers of lecturers and research fellows have decreased by 27% and
70%, respectively. For the lecturers and researchers the mean age is 47 y
and 39 y, respectively. The Panel is concerned over the increase in number
of professors by internal promotion and the high mean age of professors,
lectures and researchers.
Research profile
The research profile at KILU has too much focus on properties of
molecules, rather than making molecules. The basic preparative research
areas in organic, inorganic and material chemistry are under-represented.
These areas are important, not only for the department, but also for the
interaction and knowledge-transfer for KILU with industry and society.
Decreasing student numbers
The number of students at both undergraduate and graduate level has
decreased significantly. For the Ph.d. students, a reduction of 40% has
taken place. Ph.d. students and post.docs constitute a community that
constitutes vitality, enthusiasm, creativity and innovations in any department.
This reduction in the Ph.d.-population will have significant impact
on the scientific output of the department.
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Faculty to PhD student ratio
The faculty to Ph.d. student ratio is 1:2 (113 academic – 202 Ph.d. students)
– if only professors and lecturers are counted the numbers are 79 to
202. The Panel is to some extent concerned about this ratio, there seems
to be too many faculty members relative to the Ph.d. students. A wellbalanced
department with about 200 Ph.d. students might be operated
efficiently by a staff of ca 60.
Reduction in scientific output and external funding
Scientific output has decreased over recant years. The Panel is not able to
ascertain, if the contribution to papers in top-journals has also decreased,
i.e. the quality of the research performed have decreased, as no list of
publications has been available to it. The papers published over the last 3
years include work performed by the Ph.d. students over the last 4-6 years
and with the drop of Ph.d. students, the number of papers will probably
decrease further. Furthermore, the grants for research have decreased,
from 172 Mill. S.Kr in 2003 to 147 Mill. S.Kr in 2007.
A budget deficit of ca 70 mill S.Kr
The department has an accumulated deficit of ca 70 M. S.Kr. The Panel
has proposed to the University to cancel this deficit, because it is and
will be a millstone around the neck of the department to “survive,
rejuvenate and restructure” at the same high scientific standard, which
has hitherto been a trademark for the department. The Panel has been
informed that the department has to pay back this large amount of
money with interest. However, no plan for this has been available to the
Panel. If the department has to pay back these ca 70 M. S.Kr including
interest over e.g. 10 y, this can probably only take place with a significant
reduction of the faculty members. Furthermore, a department having
such a tight economy will deter many external scientists from applying
for a position there, because no “attractive package” can be provided
and will encourage the younger scientists to apply for positions at other
and more attractive universities. The Panel understands that younger
scientists are already applying for positions for moving away from Lund
University.
The Panel feels that it cannot offer one all-embracing solution to this acute
financial problem; it must be put right internally, if the department’s
future is to be safeguarded.
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The Panel considers that the budget deficit and the economic consequences
that flow from it, as well as and the falling number of students are the
major problems for KILU. It will require significant and drastic changes
for the department, in order to be able to sustain it as an attractive
national and international department for education and research.
2.3 Specific Comments
2.3.1 Theoretical chemistry, and surface and colloid chemistry
This division consists of 23 staff members. The theoretical chemists at
KILU have been internationally well-known and respected for their outstanding
and seminal research on especially quantum chemical methodology,
leading to e.g. the MOLCAS-program suite. The group has also
been applying accurate quantum chemical calculations and Monte-Carlo
simulations for studying electrostatic interactions leading to a number
of important contributions where theoretical work has been combined
with experimental work on complex systems as proteins and biopolymers.
The Panel has noted that many of the scientists who contributed to the
excellent-outstanding standard have retired or are at the end of their
career.
Total work done: Quality excellent to outstanding; relevance excellent.
Present and future: Activities seem to be going somewhat down and
many of those who contributed to the high standard have retired or are at
the end of their career.
For the “poly(ethylene oxide) – water systems group, the achievements
made are very significant and influence strongly the methodology used in
this area. However, this is relatively old work and it seems that it not so
much the focus anymore. The transfer of the knowledge gained there to
new systems seems to be a bit limited.
Total work done: Quality excellent; relevance excellent.
Present and future: Activities seem to be going down significantly; a
major player is retired.
Very significant contributions in the field of “interactions in model
membrane systems” has been made regarding e.g. NMR methodology
for detection of phase-equilibria in multicomponent systems. These, are
however, from late seventies, early eighties. Nevertheless, their relevance
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in quality is excellent and the work was at the time outstanding and has
still very high relevance to the study of biomembrane interactions. No
doubt, also the Israelachvili bilayer work from the nineties is outstanding
and cited in nearly all the present publications in that field.
Total work done: Quality excellent to outstanding; relevance outstanding
for the old work.
Present/future: No discernible activities?
The surface-adsorption group has made important methodology and
theory development. A major part of the papers have been published over
the last years in leading journals and are well-cited high quality papers!
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; relevance excellent.
Present/future: Seems to be going on rather well; younger promising
researcher available.
Very important method development and pioneering work in NMR
relaxation have been carried out; however some of it 25 years ago. Highlights
are significantly less now.
Total work done: Quality excellent–outstanding (20–25 years ago):
relevance: outstanding.
Present/future: Very good.
2.3.2 Ultrafast and single molecular science
– elementary molecular processes and interactions
The group (6 staff members) has performed internationally acknowledge
research studying the excited state down to very short time scales of
biological systems, produced very good to excellent work in the area of
material science related to photo-induced electron transfer in dye sensitized
semi conductors and in organic polymeric materials. It has invested
successfully in new directions of research related to reaction control and
coupling of time and space resolution down to the single molecule. Both
directions have led to promising results. Based on the information provided
in the description of their contributions many seem to be published
in very good to excellent journals.
It is encouraging to note that in the future directions of the program the
division intends to invest further and develop new methodologies such as
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ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and to further develop single molecule spectroscopy.
These methodologies should be of interest of other groups in
the department that could benefit greatly from a better collaboration and
sharing of know-how between this and other divisions such as physical
chemistry 1 or biomolecular interactions and dynamics.
Total work done: Quality excellent; relevance excellent.
Present/future: Going very well; younger promising researcher available.
2.3.3 Biomolecular interactions and dynamics
The division consists of 14 members. They have contributed at a high
international level in the area of interactions and dynamics of biological
macromolecules using specialized NMR techniques, with papers in
internationally leading journals.
The future program proposed is to a large extent a continuation of the
current ongoing research with emphasis on water in biology and protein
folding, but important targets are not identified. We note that they have
expressed interest in studying biological risk of nanoparticles. This is certain
to become an even more important area in the future, one in which
in-house research and already know-how and expertise can be profitably
exploited for its own sake and also facilitate interdisciplinary projects.
The age structure of the division is good and already younger staff
members with international standing can be recognized.
Total work done: Generally the quality very good to excellent, but some
outstanding contributions have also been performed; relevance excellent.
Present/future: Going very well; younger promising researcher available.
2.3.4 Exploring structure, function
and dynamics in key proteins and protein assemblies
The goals of current and future programs are lucidly expressed by this
impressive research team. Pursuing the structural basis of specific biological
functions in large protein assemblies is of great importance. The
use of MAX-lab and intended exploration of the 4th generation MAX IV
synchtron radiation is laudable. Workers in this group are demonstrable
world class.
Total work done: Excellent to outstanding.
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Present/future: Timely and exciting and likely to maintain outstanding
prior reputation.
2.3.5 Plant plasma membranes and aquaporins
Work on subtle and centrally-important structural changes exhibited by
various aqua porins has been of world class. It has, inter alia elucidated
the gating mechanism employed by these entities.
Total work done: Excellent to outstanding.
Present/future: Excellent.
2.3.6 Mediated and Direct Electrochemical communication
between Redox Enzymes, Biological Membranes,
Whole Living Cells and Electrodes
This is a very small group of maximum 3 people. Part of the mediated
and direct electrochemical communication group of analytical chemistry
is studying bioelectrochemical investigations of redox enzymes. The
research has been recognized internationally and a substantial number of
papers are highly cited.
The proposed strategic plan really is only a very general statement and
does not contain elements for scientific growth. Collaborations with
other divisions sharing the existing know how e.g. combining single
redox-enzyme catalysis with luminescence detection, now an area of
strong development could allow to keep some the acquired expertise and
make a closer to the frontier area of research.
Total work done: Quality very good; relevance very good.
Present/future: Only very general statements are provided. Collaborations
with other divisions sharing the existing know how e.g. combining
single redox enzyme catalysis with luminescence detection, now an area
of strong development, could allow to keep some the acquired expertise
and make a closer to the frontier area of research. Seems not to be going
well and they can disappear in basic chemistry unit.
2.3.7 Biotechnology
The division consists of 13 members. The focus on “biocatalysis in lowwater
media”, seems to be a research area which is addressed for many
years constantly on a rather high level with high publication activity.
However, limited information have been provided for the panel.
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Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; relevance excellent.
Present/future: seems to be going well; but difficult to evaluate.
The research area “stimuli-responsive polymers in biotechnology” is an
interesting field which has been consequently applied for optimizing
separation technology with really focusing on the aspects that it works.
Well recognized publications.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; relevance excellent.
Present/future: Going very well; high potential for the future even
though one has to make sure that young people will follow up.
“Supermacroporous gels for biotechnology” is again, a highly interesting
field with very high expertise shown which is really driven to working
systems. As in the topic above, here real materials expertise is showing up;
it is dissapointing, that the materials activities shown in the biotechnology
area are not combined with the material science group and also not
made more visible in the future plans.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevance.
Present/future: Going very well, should be placed better within the
aspect of material science.
No doubt KILU has an outstanding reputation in molecular imprinting!
This group is leading world wide. It also looks that with the partial
retirement of the leading person it was possible to keep up the expertise
and to have now a promising younger researcher.
Total work done: Quality outstanding; highly relevant
Present/future: Present still profiting from one highly acknowledged
expert who is least partly retired; should be placed better within the
aspect of material science.
The field of “monitoring and control in biotechnological processes” can
not fully be judge by the Panel. Looks like on a good to very good level.
The research group in “extremophilic microorganisms” is internationally
recognized and has the potential to develop towards a strong internationally
competitive group. The group has been very active and productive
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in the last five years. The research field is of high strategic value for
Sweden in view of the valorization of plant and industrial biomass.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going very well; high potential for the future.
2.3.8 Microbial Physiology and Metabolic Engineering
The division consists of 10 members. The “bioenergy carrier production:
bioethanol and biohydrogen” area is a very relevant research area of high
strategic value for Sweden in view of the valorization of renewable resources
derived from forestry, agriculture and waste material. The research
group is internationally recognized and has the potential to develop
towards the highest level of international research.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going very well; very high potential for the future.
“Food-borne microbial virulence: rapid detection methodology, food preservation,
quantitative risk assessment” is a very important and strategic
research area directly related to public health in which many groups are
active all over the world. The group performs internationally competitive
research. The quantitative risk assessment is of particular importance but
seems to be still in development.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going very well; high potential for the future. Strong
collaboration with the Department of Food Technology, Engineering and
Nutrition on this aspect is recommended.
A very important, strategic and competitive research area is “health
promotion: pro- and prebiotics, starter cultures”. From the material
available, is seems as this group has published more on probiotics than on
prebiotics. The research performed belongs to the international top with
in this field.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going very well.
The “chiral bioreductions: stereo-specific pharmaceutical synthesis” is
an interesting research niche. From the information the Panel has been
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able to find on the web this research is quite young. It seems as the group
has published 5–10 papers on this subject which have not yet been cited
much. The strategic value for KILU is important for future decisions
about this research.
Total work done: Quality very good to excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going well, but difficult to evaluate.
2.3.9 Nanotechnology and functional polymers
From the additional material one can conclude that only 5 faculty members
are active in this field with one of those being actually more into biophysics
and one is retiring 2008. This seems to be below the critical mass.
In the report it is stated that. ”18 years ago, we launched a cross-disciplinary
nanotechnology initiative; the nanometer structure consortium, where we
contributed with our knowledge in inorganic chemistry, crystallography,
atomic scale characterisation and materials properties. Other partners are
Solid state physics, cell- and organism biology, electro- and information
techn., mathematical physics and medicine, in all ca 40 senior scientists.”
It looks like the chemists are partners in this, but maybe not the major
player as a very low number of faculty members are involved. From that
initiative, a major achievement out of the chemistry department is the
production of nanowires and nanotrees where it is claimed now that the
KILU group belongs to the top 3 groups in that field (publications are
convincing, citation is excellent but output is still limited). The contributions
come here mainly from catalysis, which is important, but future
development needs a more interdisciplinary approach to go into application
e.g. building nanoelectronic based devices.
Total work done: Excellent, some parts outstanding¸ but under the critical
mass; highly important and relevant.
Present/future: Going well, but needs expansion! Major player retired?
It is not possible for the Panel to identify the leading KILU person from
those 4.5 faculty members being involved in this research field. Only one
of those was a coauthor of the high ranking publications but his own
publication list is too small.
The “functional polymer” part can be divided into two: There is a highly
active synthetic group represented by one lecturer who focuses on the
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synthesis of a variety of functional polymers, with high recognition
of the work on sulfonated polymers with ion and proton conducting
properties; activities are also on different polymer architectures and
amphiphilic polymers. This a very important group being nearly the
only one which is clearly focusing on making new materials (beside the
activities in the biotechnology area) and material design for important
applications. The group is very productive and the publications are well
cited. It remains a little unclear if this group has appropriate partners
e.g. in the field of energy production but it can be assumed that this is
the case.
Total work done: Excellent; highly relevant.
Present/future: Going very well but needs to be expanded.
The other group, again represented by only one professor, deals with the
characterization of important polymer properties e.g. free volume which
is especially important in the field of membranes e.g. for gas separation.
This is also a highly acknowledged activity, but the output could be
higher. It does not become fully clear if these activities are well connected
to any ongoing membrane technology activities within the chemistry
department or the chemical engineering department. The present focus
which shifts to nanocomposites seems rather isolated and is certainly
addressed with too low man power missing the part which addresses the
making of the nanocomposite (membranes).
Total work done: Very good to excellent.
Present/future: Going well but certainly subcritical in man power.
General remark to “nanotechnology and functional polymers”: It looks
like the nanotechnology and especially the functional polymer part is
not well-integrated in the general strategy and planning of the chemistry
department. It could, and actually, it should be better developed and
integrated. Otherwise it does not make use of its potential; the chemistry
department could certainly profit from these activities much better than
presently given.
However, it could be that the groups involved here find their partners not
at all in the chemistry department but maybe in the solid physics department,
or in engineering! This would also be ok, but is not outlined in the
provided material.
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2.4 Most promising areas for the future
or those which should develop – future work
The Panel feels that in this section not all activities which are planned for
the future are really outlined. They focus on their three “to be” research
areas but in many cases it seems to be just a minimal extension of what
has been done in the past and lacks in several areas vision or really new
ideas.
2.4.1 Ultrafast and single molecule science
It is promising to see that in the future directions of the program the
division intends to further invest and develop new methodologies such as
ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and to further develop single molecule spectroscopy.
These methodologies should be of interest of other groups in
the department that could benefit greatly from a better collaboration and
sharing of know how between this and other divisions such as physical
chemistry 1 or biomolecular interactions and dynamics.
Overall: Excellent and with a vision.
2.4.2 Organizing Molecular Matter
This is a well-structured and thought through research plan and combines
excellently expertise; it is just a little surprising that this “center” is
not reflected in the new organization structure (in the 4 new units planned!).
In this field theory (very strong), study on model systems (methods
and expertise available, high ranking physical/chemical analysis) as well
as application aspects will be addressed. The Panel is very satisfied with
all aspects, however, one might get the impression that in principle the
present expertise is more in the bio field and not so much e.g. in the
cohesion of concrete. But we fully agree that in nearly all, even very
technical applications, understanding of organizing matter in complex
heterogeneous systems will play an extremely high role. The Panel notes
that there is no clear statement of intention concerning synthesis of new
materials.
Overall: Plans are very good; hopefully the department can really go in
the direction as planned.
2.4.3 Biomolecular interaction
Very much in direction of biology and where is the chemistry?
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Water in Biology: The topics are highly important and relevant e.g. the
role of water and the understanding of the interactions and the department
have the equipment and the competence and experience to make a
significant progress there.
Protein unfolding is also a very important field with a big potential.
However, it seems also to be very focused towards the bio- and medicinal
fields.
Biological risk of nanoparticles: very important area. The department has
a very good ground here and the Panel considers this an excellent strategy
to focus on this topic.
The study of large protein complexes and related fields are also highly important
research areas. However, it seems also to be very focused towards
the molecular-biology fields.
Overall: Plans are very good, but fit not very well into a chemistry department.
2.4.4 Organic chemistry
It has already stated earlier that preparative chemistry is extremely
important for the future.
The Panel is happy that organic chemistry is listed under the most promising
area; nevertheless, it is a small and rather limited activity as it is
described (studying biological active secondary metabolites). The field is
certainly important and fits well in the general strategy of the department,
but the Panel would like to see that organic and related fields in chemistry
are even more expanded. These fields – making e.g. new molecules – are
highly important for many of the research areas in the department and of
fundamental importance for Swedish industry and society.
Overall: Plans are very good
2.4.5 Biotechnology
The department has an excellent standing in the area of production of
chemical and energy from biobased feedstock. The Panel agrees with the
statement that this will have a strategic importance for the coming years.
The vision is “to develop some demonstration cases involving integrated
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production of chemicals and energy.” The Panel think this is the right
way to go (at least here a clear vision is given!), but we would have expected
a somewhat stronger statement and a more clear commitment to work
together with the chemical engineering department. The programs look
so similar between the two departments but somehow they do not refer a
lot to each other.
The same comments are also valid for the other visions: Biosensors
(certainly very important) and environmental separation (e.g. waste-water
treatment from pharmaceutical industry), similar/identical topics are
addressed in the chemical engineering department and the Panel can
only assume that they work together.
The Panel shares the analysis given; the possibilities are high. However,
the actions could be stronger than outlined e.g. in a concerted actions
with the chemical engineering department.
Overall: plans are very good to excellent (as it can be judged from the short
text) but need more collaboration to become valid.
2.4.6 Functional Materials
Outstanding results could be achieved regarding nanowire production
which might be extremely interesting for nanoelectronics. Nanotrees are
actually a little less challenging that well-defined wires which one can
place and arrange effectively. Progress there would need also a strong link
to nanolectronics, meaning suitable engineering departments, as well as
to the physics departments. The future planning regarding the chemistry
department/materials seems to be rather weak but certainly one should
investigate if it is possible to access additional funding from high ranking
sources and the field is certainly of extremely high relevance.
The Panel has difficulties in seeing the necessary multidisciplinary
approach, at least not outlined in the papers given. We assume that the
activities of the chemistry department are just a smaller part in the nanotechnology
initiative launched at KILU with major player coming from
solid state physics, cell- and organism biology, electro- and information
technology, mathematical physics and medicine, in all ca 40 senior scientists
and the chemistry department contribution “with our knowledge
in inorganic chemistry, crystallography, atomic scale characterisation and
materials properties”
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2.4.7 Biopolymers:
No real vision given, just a general statement;
2.5 SWOT analysis
S: Front line and impressive research on the borders of biology, with
strong emphasis of the physical and theoretical properties of the
systems studied.
W: Lack of focusing in future planning, absence of making of molecules
and material science as a core element in their strategy.
O: Use the age structure to start a well designed tenure track system
combined with a procative post-doctoral program trying to attract
excellent scientist from abroad for a limited stay (not tenure track).
T: Financial structure. Aging of staff. Low number of Ph.d. students.
Lack of innovation in several programs proposed, the feeling of we are
excellent hence continuing will keep us excellent. Too high number
of staff in certain areas which were successful in the past leaving little
room for new areas
2.6 Recommendations
1. A major initiative is required to improve and attract undergraduate
students from the high schools. The Chairman will be prepared to
amplify the various proven options available.
2. Commitment from the faculty and institutions to young scientists
embarking on the scientific careers, including:
a) A clear career path.
b) Mentorship programme
c) Substantial start-up funding
3. Serious considerations to change the name of the department to
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
4. Greater emphasis be given to making new molecules and materials.
5. Re-examination of methods used to recruit new members of staff.
6. Clear instructions from the Faculty concerning procedural and
strategic matters for the staff to implement.
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7. Less time be devoted by individual researchers to administrative
purposes and more to scientific activities.
8. Provide financial support for re-vitalizing and re-structuring the
department.
3. Department of Chemical Engineering
3.1 General
The Department of Chemical Engineering (DCE) was formed out of
two previous divisions (covering mainly unit operations, heat and power
technology, process chemistry and reaction engineering) in 2003. The
department was later expanded by the inclusion of the Division of Water
and Environmental Technology in 2005.
This department is very small compared to the chemistry department.
The department is engaged in a significant number of research projects,
covering a wide range of research topics in chemical engineering and related
areas. The research activities are mainly into the principal categories:
energy, environmental technology, process and product design, and water
and environmental engineering. There are substantial overlaps and many
of the research projects cover several fields. The nature of the work ranges
all the way from fundamental studies, e.g. in catalysis, to applied projects
in the process industry.
DCE has some clusters of significant success. However, as stated earlier
due to very limited information obtained especially for DCE further
information such as (i) full listing of projects active in the period of analysis,
(ii) highlighting the research effort of the different researchers in the
different projects; (iii) well-documented list of research papers, including
impact factors and citations; (iv) scientific and technical productivity per
research line or research area, would have increased the level of evaluation
significantly.
It would help to learn more about the Research Centers (the Centre for
Membrane Technology and the Center for Chemical Process Design and
Control), namely in what they represent and how they relate to the main
research profiles reported (Energy; Environment Technology; Process
and Product Design and Water and Environmental Engineering).
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The Panel has tried to obtain some information through the DCE
web-site. It has helped significantly, yet it did not provide the full picture
of the research organizational structure. Indeed, though it included a
general overview of on-going research projects grouped in different areas,
it did not give information concerning full dimension of such projects
and further introduced a few elements of difficulty since some projects
are repeated in different areas.
3.2 Some specific issues
The research themes cover very many relevant fundamental studies,
processes and products, but seem not to cover in significant dimension
and in a structured way some also relevant topics, namely in fluid mechanics,
mixing, optimization and control, systems engineering approaches
(in this case even considering the Center for Process, Optimization and
Control, which seems to be or potentially is very relevant, but of which
little is mentioned in the report).
The Department seems to lack some interfaces (or it has to improve them)
that may be necessary to increase productivity and visibility.
It is not clear to the Panel, what is the full dimension of the interface with
other disciplines, though there are indicators of cooperation with the
Department of Automatic Control and with material scientists.
The cooperation with industry seems significant, though this statement
lacks clear evidence. Furthermore, the Panel is surprised by the relatively
small number of Patents that have been filed.
The department has an outstanding “Special Resources” – a large apparatus
hall, which is unique in its kind for Chemical Engineering in
Sweden. The apparatus hall was completely renovated in 2005 and it
allows the department to conduct experiments at a relatively large scale.
This has been important for work on membrane technology, and for the
establishment of the National Process Development Unit – financed by
the Swedish Energy Administration
DCE has had 20 academic staff members over the last 5 years, of which 11
are professors. The mean age of the professors has increased from 53 y to
56 y during this period. For the lectures – only 4 – the mean age is 49 y.
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The number of students on both undergraduate and graduate level has
decreased significantly. For the Ph.d. students, a reduction of 46% has
taken place. The Ph.d. students and post.docs are those who are the main
contributors of vitality, enthusiasm, creativity and “bringing ideas into
science” in a department.
The faculty to Ph.d. student ratio is 1:1 (20 academic – 20 Ph.d. students)
– if only professors and lectures are counted the numbers are 22
to 11. The Panel is concerned about this ratio, there are too many faculty
members relative to the Ph.d. students and the number of Ph.d. students
compared to the faculty members is definitely too low!
DCE has obvious clusters of high quality, with groups that are leading
nationally and fully internationally recognized. However, the overall
dimension of this quality is not well identified in the report (and in the
complementary information available).
Bioconversions, catalysis, separations, sustainable and/or energy efficient
processes represent areas where the Department seems to have very good
to excellent activity.
DCE has indicators of very good internal and national collaboration, mainly
with industry. The extent of international scientific collaboration is not so
clear and the Panel rate this as an area where progress can be envisaged.
The department has decided somehow to re-organize its structure (or its
form of presenting it?), in three main development areas – (i) biorefineries;
(ii) environmental engineering; (iii) process engineering.
The Panel would like to address that the following complementary concepts
and issues also represent major opportunities of chemical engineering
(of course that chemical engineering thought of in lactus sensus): (i)
(sustainable) processes; (ii) (bio) products; (iii) materials (bio, nano, poly);
(iv) energy; (v) systems (including knowledge engineering).
The organization of the research activity should promote the creation
of synergies, as example: (i) environment with health and products; (ii)
energy with processes and again products; (iii) biotechnology and its
interfaces; (iv) systems engineering, on their own, apart from all the
relevant influence that systems engineering tools have in all areas.
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This example of organisation paves the way for obvious links with areas
that in Lund are in other departments (mainly chemistry). Then, we
have the difficult issue of linking this layer of organization with the layer
of what is emerging areas and new fundamental knowledge (and skills)
– nanosciences, surface sciences, chemistry of trace compounds, environmental
biotechnology and molecular biology, new energy technology,
advanced hybrid modeling, advanced process control, novel products and
energy sustainable processes (process design, waste treatment)
It is clear that several of these concerns can be identified in the future
development areas (for example, water quality is there), but some are
(apparently) left out (product engineering seems to be one such example).
It seems that the planned organization, as reported, is not excellent, as it
seems not to promote, to the extent that it could or should, some of these
key areas of development. On the contrary, and that should be mentioned,
though the structure does not put in evidence the interfaces, the
written plans show clearly that DCE feels and understands (as stated in
the report’s form 2) this requirement for strong complementary, multidisciplinary
effort (with material scientists, biologists and biological
engineers, just to mention few).
Opportunities are not really unique, but there are clear opportunities in
areas where Lund (and Sweden) are naturally prepared: (i) The production
chain associated to lignocellulose; (ii) environmental processes (environmental
catalysis), water quality issues and waste treatment issues. Opportunities
are wider than ever. It is for sure not possible to tackle all of them, but
the key for the future is to a large extent on the combination of chemical,
biochemical, material and environmental expertise for the development of
novel products, energy sustainable processes and flexible operation.
DCE has basic know-how and conditions to go along this way, but it
needs to create conditions for attracting more young people and bringing
in the expertise that it lacks.
3.3 SWOT-analysis
S: CDE strengths are on some key areas of specialization (bioconversions,
catalysis, energy efficient processes), where productivity is
relatively high, and on the cooperation with relevant industry.
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W: DCE has to fight hard for an increase of temporary researchers, be it
Ph.d. students or post.docs., to change and improve the current ratio
no-permanent vs. permanent researchers. DCE will have to self-evaluate
and reverse the conditions that have led to this decrease of such
ratio. Also, as weakness, the not so clear internal organization and
strategy of research, that leads to not exploring apparently important
cooperation, namely with sections of the Chemistry Department.
O: The fact that the DCE has recognized know-how in areas that are
relevant for Sweden and for the Region should be seen as an opportunity
to attract financing and good researchers, at least national
researchers. The indicators given by the reported plans for future
research show that staff is aware of the requirements for complementary
multi-disciplinary efforts, which in itself represents a strength
and will promote opportunities. DCE will have to invest in improving
internal organization in order to maximize synergies with close and
complementary areas. As example, there are opportunities in joining
environment with health and product engineering projects, or interfacing
more strongly with biotechnology, that are not yet (seem not to
be) explored.
T: There will be a threat of slowing research activity if conditions for
attracting young researchers are not improved.
3.4 Recommendations
More thoughts should be given to pursuing areas of research relating to
sustainable developments and educating scientists for Swedish industry in
general.
DCE should be vigilant about internal structure.
Mutual efforts between DCE and the Chemistry Department should be
made to improve links and cooperation in the several interface areas of
their activity.
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4. Department of Food Technology,
Engineering and Nutrition
4.1 General Comments
The new structure for Department of Food Technology, Engineering and
Nutrition (DFTEN) implemented in 2003 is a sensible one and seems to
work quite well. As already reported many publications are authored by
scientists coming from the 3 divisions which merged in the department
and thus evidences multi- and interdisciplinary collaborations. The establishment
of the structure is underlined by the description of the research
activities under a general title: “Research for design and production of
foods with health benefits”. The Panel considers this as a good mission for
the future.
DFTEN is also very small compared to the chemistry department. Nutrition
research at Lund University is characterized by a functional and
fruitful collaboration between Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry
and a clear focus on the optimization of the nutritional properties of
carbohydrates/dietary fibers and proteins in food products. In particular
the research on the health benefits of carbohydrates/dietary fibers is very
good to excellent and is internationally recognized from a nutritional
point of view, as well as from a food chemistry point of view. The research
on heterocyclic amines is outstanding and getting more and more
international recognition.
In the food technological research 3 main areas are indicated:
1. Food process engineering.
2. Structure-function relationships with emphasis on cereal, meat and
dairy products.
3. Emulsions.
The aim of the food technological research is to produce foods with the
desired quality attributes as perceived by the consumer. The research
within the structure-function relationships area is of international
standing, this is also true for membrane technology and the research on
emulsions is getting more and more international recognition.
With respect to the management of DFTEN it appears that this department
has a better financial position (no negative figures) than the other
Chemical Departments although keeping the equipment infrastructure
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state of the art needs attention. This infrastructure looks very good with
many unique instruments.
4.2 Structural issues
DFTEN has had 10-20 academic staff members over the last 5 years, of
which 13 are professors. The mean age of the professor has increased from
53 y to 57 y during this period. For the lectures – now only 2 – the mean
age is 49 y. A point of serious concern is the mean age of particularly the
category of academic professors. In the near future a number of professors
will retire. This is an opportunity to restructure the department and bring
it in line with Lund University expectations. This can only be done by
adapting your HR management system and not to rely on the automatism
in the career development of the academic staff from lecturer to professor.
Professorships should fit in the strategic plan and the best candidates
should be selected in an open procedure allowing national and international
candidates to apply.
The establishment of the structure is substantiated with shared supervision
of Ph.d. students, special multi- and interdisciplinary activities like collaborations
in competence and excellence centers, national and regional research
funding and joint courses in undergraduate teaching. Ph.d. students are also
supervised with scientists from other departments within the faculties of
Engineering, Science, Medicine and Management thus enabling strengthening
of the expertise of the department with basic disciplinary science.
However, the Panel is concerned that the number of students on graduate
level has decreased significantly. For the Ph.d. students, a reduction of 48%
has taken place. Striking to the Panel is especially the high mean age of 40
y for the 8 Ph.d. students in 2007; however, the lower mean age of 34.6 y
for 2002–2007 of the Ph.d. students is more satisfactory, although this is
still quite high in comparison to many other countries. However, the Panel
was pleased to read that the scientific publications have increased from 60
to 70 from 2002 to 2007.
The faculty to Ph.d. student ratio is 1:0.85 (20 academic – 17 Ph.d. students)
– if only professors and lectures are counted the numbers are 13
to 17. The Panel is concerned about this ratio, there are too many faculty
members relative to the Ph.d. students and the number of Ph.d. students
compared to the faculty members is definitely too low! With this number,
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from an international perspective, DFTEN does not belong to the top.
However, with 4 professors in the list of ISI Highly cited they do!
The evaluation of the scientific quality based on the material for DFTEN
was not easy to make, particularly not since no individuals should be
addressed while in reality often excellence and leadership are connected
to outstanding scientists. The Panel has collected additional information
from the web. In going through the publication lists many publications
come back under various subjects. On the one hand this demonstrates
multi- and interdisciplinary collaborations which is very good, but on the
other hand it makes the evaluation complex.
4.3 Specific Comments
The research performed within the field of cereals and starches is strong
research area of DFTEN. The group is competent and the research is of
high international standard, and with good collaboration with Nutrition
and Biomedical Nutrition.
The “dairy engineering and technology” is also a strong research area at
DFTEN. It is a competent group, performing research of high international
standard with the right attention for health aspects of (modified)
constituents in milk.
The research done within dispersed food systems is an important research
topic. The group has the potential to develop to international competitive
group. However, the Ph.d. projects listed under this group deal predominantly
with cereal and starch processing and constituents of cereals and only
one project which fits the definition of dispersed food systems as described
by the group. This is confusing and focus on the subject is recommended.
Emerging Technologies is an important research area. Today the group
is not internationally competitive. The leading professor will retire in
the near future. Focus and long term commitments and investments are
necessary to pursue this field.
Fluid dynamics and flow effects in processing equipment: Important
research area, international recognition modest. Leading professors will
retire in near future. Long term commitments and investments are necessary
to pursue this field.
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Panel 14 – chemistry
Handling and processing of fruits and vegetables: Applied research,
international recognition modest. In future introduction of pulse electric
field treatment is proposed which is a relevant technique. Long term commitments
and investments are necessary to pursue this field.
Meat- and fibre products: Important research area, although combination
of the two subjects is only sensible when fibre products are seen as
ingredients with favorable functionalities in meat products. Emphasis
on the latter aspect would fit in the future most promising research areas
identified (see below). The research is internationally competitive.
Membrane technology: Important research area. International competitive
group. Leading professor will retire in near future. Long term
commitments and investments are necessary to pursue this field. This
competence fits in the future most promising research areas identified
(see below).
Modeling, measurement and control: No track record recognizable.
Enforcement of technological and engineering research by mathematic
modeling is very relevant, but then long term commitments and investments
are necessary to pursue this field.
The food technological research needs more focus around the strongest
and most strategic areas and choices have to be made meaning
discontinuation of some areas and investments in strategic areas. The
upcoming vacancies in this research field give opportunities to do this.
In the description of future most promising research areas and research
directions (see below) some choices have already been indicated which the
Panel supports.
4.4 Most promising future research areas
or research directions:
Interaction between indigestible food components, gut microbiota
and food technology aimed at designing food with disease preventive
properties is indeed an emerging area and is a logical choice because the
department can, for part of the anticipated research, build on excellent
competences and expertise already present and has also the potential to
acquire a prominent position in the area of cognitive performance and
potentially bioactive components. In the coming years some professor
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Panel 14 – chemistry
positions will become vacant and attention should be given on the one
hand to maintain competences and expertise and on the other hand to
attract new competences and expertise to realize the research ambitions.
DFTEN finds new challenges in developing new, more sustainable
technologies for producing food that is more healthy, more tasty, convenient
and more fresh. As research areas are mentioned membrane emulsification,
development of new technologies e.g. pulsed electric field in
fruit and vegetable processing to retain important constituents effecting
health and sensory properties, and development of new ingredients based
on dietary fibre for structure and texture formation in foods. These are
indeed very relevant research areas. These intentions also mean a choice
for more focus in the technological research which the Panel very strongly
supports. Research on membrane emulsification and dietary fibre as
structure and texture ingredient can build on existing competence and
expertise. There is also quite some application experience in fruit and
vegetable processing but in our opinion this needs a more fundamental
basis. It is already anticipated to enforce the technological research with
mathematic modeling.
Also in the technological and engineering research some vacancies will
arise with the risk to lose competences and expertise. This has partially
been anticipated by appointing young researchers but it is important to
use the opportunity to create more focus and attract new competences.
4.5 SWOT analysis:
S: Research quality is good to excellent but can improve for some areas.
More focus in the research program will help in this and is already
partly anticipated in the future research intentions (see below). The
international reputation of LU can be improved (as mentioned above)
and also the external funding.
W: The Panel agrees with the points made. that Short term projects
should be avoided. The Panel also wants to mention here the automatism
in career development and recruitment of new professionals
and the relatively high average age of Ph.D. students. From form 3:
“Quality summary of research activities and academic reputation” it
appears that in the period 2003–2007 for the academic staff 6 positions
were renewed all by internal recruitments. It is also mentioned
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Panel 14 – chemistry
that there are too few technicians. Many specific competences and
expertise are mastered and kept by the technicians for as long as they
stay with group. These positions are quite crucial for the functioning
of a research group and have to be present in the right proportions.
Researchers including post-docs and Ph.d.s are crucial in carrying out
most of the actual research and they determine to a great extent the
research output. Post.doc. positions are flexible and make it possible to
bring in new expertise.
The Panel would like to advice to critically evaluate the balance
between professor positions, researchers, lecturers and Ph.D.’s.
O: The Panel can agree with most points made. We would like to add
the effect of stronger regulations with respect to health claims (EU
and international bodies), more sustainable food manufacture and the
growing demand by the consumer for less processed, fresher, tastier
and healthier food.
T: We agree with most points made. However, the faculty funding at
DFTEN is still relatively high compared with many universities
outside Sweden.
4.6 Recommendations
The vision of DFTEN is expressed in the following two statements:
“DFTN finds new challenges in developing new, more sustainable technologies
for producing food that is more healthy, more tasty, convenient
and more fresh” and DFTN wants to perform “Research for design and
production of foods with health benefits”. The panel supports this vision.
This means however that more focus is needed in the research areas,
particularly in the technological research. Therefore strategic choices
must be made leading to investments in areas identified as strategic and
discontinuation of areas which are not selected.
The personnel structure of the academic staff should be improved with
respect to age structure, balance ratio of numbers of professors, lecturers,
researchers and Ph.d.s and maintaining sufficient support of technicians.
This improvement should be in line with the choice of the future focus
areas. Professors should be selected in an open procedure allowing
national and international candidates to apply.
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Panel 14 – chemistry
More external funding should be attracted building more on the research
areas where DFTN has strong competences and expertise. Short term
research projects should be avoided.
More and younger Ph.d. students and external post-docs should be
attracted. The international status of DFTN can be improved by more
teaching in English. This makes DFTN more accessible and attractive for
foreign students also leading to a larger pool of PhD students.
Additional Panel Report 15
5.1 Department of Immunotechnology
5.1 Background
The aim and objective of the RQ08 review is the first research evaluation
of Lund University as a whole. The long-term aim of this review is to
strengthen the University as a research organisation of international high
standing and a similar review will be carried out in the future, every 5
years.
It is noted that this review takes place following a period (between
2003–2007) which has seen decreases at all levels in the numbers of
researchers, due to the University’s financial constraints and its requirement
in this period to reduce costs. In light of this, the University has
now correctly identified as strategically important that is should restore
the balance in its employment structure and maintain/enhance excellence
in its education and research capabilities following this period of weak
finances and high costs.
In addition, it is noted that it is expected that there will be a ‘generation
shift’ in the higher research positions in the coming six to seven years.
In light of this, this reviewer considers that this (on-going) review of
research performance within Lund University is a highly valuable and
important exercise to plan and critically focus support, critical mass
15. At the panel meeting, Panel 14 declared that it did not have the competences to
perform a scientific evaluation of the Department of Immunotechnology. Therefore, an
external scientist was appointed to perform the scientific evaluation of this department.
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Panel 14 – chemistry
and facility collaboration within the University, nationally and internationally.
In the competitive globalized world of education and research, this
requirement to identify, focus and expand on areas of excellence, whether
at the level of faculty, departments, groups and individuals is critical. This
will be an important component to delivering the overall aim of ensuring
the University focusses on areas that have the potential to attain research
and education of the highest international standard.
5.2 Overall assessment
The overall quality assessment of the Department of Immunotechnology
is ‘excellent’. The department is internationally recognized for its research
excellence, technology developments, its commercialization and the
relevance and importance of its biomedical and clinical applications. It
has been at the international fore-front in its areas of research over many
years. This department is known internationally for the high quality
and rigor of its research and critically combines multi-disclipinary and
interdisciplinary expertise in complementary areas of technology development,
antibody libraries, arrays and applications, proteomics, clinical
and commercial collaborations, biomarker discovery and bioinformatics
analysis.
5.3 Research infrastructure
Organisation: The Department of Immunotechnology was formally
inaugurated in 2007, when the Department of Immunotechnology
(previously part of the Chemical Center) and the Unit for Protein Technology
(previously part of the Department of Electrical Measurements)
merged and re-located to be closer to the medical faculty to increase and
strengthen the inter-faculty collaborative programs. The department is
organized into 5 research groups headed by a Full Professor level, Prof.
Carl Borrebaeck; comprising;
(i) Cancer targets
(ii) Antibody engineering/molecular evolution
(iii) Allergy
(iv) Proteomics
(v) Antibody microarray
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Panel 14 – chemistry
This department’s research strategy has been to address complex biological
questions based on developing and applying cutting edge technology
platforms. The department includes 3 Professors, 1 Lecturer and 6 researchers,
(comprising 8 men and 2 women). The total number of employees
is 35 and 5–10 additional undergraduates.
The Special Resources set up within and by the department is impressive,
including a GLP cell culture facility, fully equipped laboratories designed
for antibody engineering and biomedical research, a fully equipped protein/
microarray facility, and an extensive proteomics and mass spectrometry
facility. The department houses the SCIBLU Unit called MARC (Micro-
Array Resource Center – a core facility servicing southern Sweden with
global genome analysis) and the Strategic Center for Translational Cancer
Research (CREATE Health), with Prof. Borrebaeck as its Director. The
vision and ability to develop such complementary expertise, critical mass
and infrastructure is impressive and requires significant resources in the
expertise of its researchers and staff and to maintain this equipment. These
resources are world-class and will ensure that this Dept can continue to
compete internationally at the highest level now and in the future.
5.4 Research Quality
The departments research is in the areas of Identification of Cancer
targets, Antibody engineering/molecular evolution, Allergy research, Proteomics,
Antibody microarrays. The research quality of the department
can be rated as ‘excellent’ to ‘outstanding’ as within each of these areas, the
research carried out in the department has an international reputation for
excellence in its innovation, quality and impact. It is at the forefront of its
area of research as is evidenced by its high-impact publications, the Dept
members are regularly involved and actively participate in international
collaborations and conferences and the biomedical, clinical and commercial
relevance of its research is high.
The Productivity of the department in its research areas is excellent as
evidenced by its increasing numbers of publications, with 27 original
publications in 2007, many in top journals of high impact such as Nature
Biotechnology and Molecular Cellular Proteomics.
The combination of the multi-disciplinary nature of the research
and its application areas in biomedical and clinical fields ensures the
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Panel 14 – chemistry
Relevance of the department’s research is ‘outstanding’ It has also been
at the forefront of the discovery of biomarkers in the areas of cancer,
auto-immunity and allergy research. Its advances in the areas of antibody
engineering and antibody microarray technologies are highly innovative
and have far-reaching applications within the field, for example to
potentially develop and improve the diagnosis of cancers and is currently
at the forefront of research globally in these areas.
From the evidence of the international standing of the researchers within
this department and their research expertise and track record, including
its multi-disciplinary nature, I would rate the vitality and organisational
capacity of the department as ‘excellent’.
5.5 Collaboration
The researchers in the department have an excellent record of leading,
coordinating and participating in high quality international and national
organisations and conferences, such as within HUPO, the EU and within
Sweden. The researchers have reputations for establishing, maintaining
and managing strong and successful national and international collaborations
and consortia. I would rate the reputation, profile and quality of the
collaborations as excellent.
5.6 Research activity and teaching
This area of research of this department is internationally highly competitive
and is inter- and multi-disciplinary requiring extensive expertise,
critical mass and infrastructure. The department focuses on post-graduate
and advanced training of researchers. This is in line with international
practice in such areas, as members within this department would be in a
position to give advanced level training in areas of cutting edge research.
As such the department acknowledges that it is involved in relatively little
undergraduate education, but is very much involved in post-graduate and
advanced level training. For example, it participates and organizes many
national and international courses, conferences and workshops, such
as developing a Proteomics Masters education program for the Human
Proteome Organisation (HUPO) and the European Proteomics Association
(EuPa), in addition to developing and delivering a number of 1 week
courses.
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Panel 14 – chemistry
5.7 Evaluation of future plans
The future plans exploit and expand the existing research areas and
are well chosen and are very good to excellent. The future plans include
applying the technology platforms in the department, not only to the
discovery of disease related biomarkers such as in Breast Cancer, but the
future aims are to expand the application areas to predict tumor relapse
and resistance to therapy. The ultimate aim is to be able to select the
optimal treatment for individuals, based on a simple blood test (personalized
medicine). These aims build on recent advances using new areas of
research which are highly innovative and promising, such as the Global
Proteome Survey system that will enable array based proteomics to be
converted into a discovery tool and Context Independent Motif Specificantibodies,
that react to motifs in proteins and protein families.
5.8 Future potentials and possibilities
An additional area to be include in future research could include assay
development and the qualification or validation of the biomarkers (or biomarker
panels) identified by the department. Such validated assays could
allow the determination of the significance of the results in the clinical
setting. To further expand on the applications and biomedical relevance
of the targets and biomarkers identified in the research programmes,
increased involvement in clinical trials would be beneficial in the future
to determine the potential to translate the research results into the clinic.
5.9 Gender and equal opportunity issues
From the details given, the department consists of 36 members (35 Full
Time Equivalents), of these 61% are women (of which 67% of the total
number of employees are not permanently employed). In the period,
1998–2002 the number of PhD students were 50%; from 2002 to 2007,
there were 58% women; and in 2007, 75% of the PhD students were women.
However, at the more senior positions, of the 3 members of Academic
staff of professorial level and the 1 lecturer position, (all of which are
permanently employed), there are no women. While the numbers are low,
these figures are in line with the dramatic fall-off of Women researchers
at the higher levels internationally (as detailed for example by the EU,
in its annual ‘She-Figure Reports’). Sweden has had specific recruitment
incentives to increase the numbers of Females in higher positions within
academia in the past. While these were controversial at the time, they
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Panel 14 – chemistry
were seen to have been effective. Perhaps Lund University could consider
such methods to increase the numbers of women at the higher levels, if
this trend is found throughout the University. Other standard methods
that are known to be successful internationally such as the availability of
flexible working hours, increasing child-care facilities within the University,
dialogue with funding agencies to assist females return to work
incentives following career breaks, increased administrative supports for
individuals with demonstrated caring responsibilities, etc. to assist in
the administrative duties of grants, etc. are all know to assist in female
participation at higher levels in the researcher career structures.
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
PANEL 15: LTH – PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
CONTENTS
1. Department of Design Sciences.................................................................418
2. Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering
and Automation (IEA)................................................................................426
3. Department of Energy Sciences..................................................................431
4. Department of Industrial Management and Logistic.................................. 436
5. Department of Mechanical Engineering.................................................... 440
6. Division of Solid Mechanics....................................................................... 446
1. Department of Design Sciences
1.1. Background
The evaluation for this Department has been very difficult due to the fact
that only two (out of 5) Divisions had to be evaluated and that most of
the data were provided for the Department, with only limited information
on the two Divisions, combined or separately. Therefore, an Overall
Assessment was made on the Department, while for the detailed assessments
the two Divisions were evaluated, separately where possible.
The Department of Design Sciences (DDS) as a whole is a broad inter/
multidisciplinary organization dealing with design of products and
systems, and their interaction with society. It has 100 staff, 11 of which are
Professors, 7 adjunct professors, and 44 postgraduate students. Packaging
Logistics (DPL) and Machine Design (DMD), were the subjects of this
evaluation. The Department’s website indicated that the active research
staff in DPL consisted of, 1 Professor, 1 Associate Professor, 3 Assistant
Professors and 3 Adjunct Professors and two researchers, while DMD has 2
professors, 4 researchers and 5 staff members mainly dealing with teaching.
1.2 Overall Assessment (Department DDS) Very good (4)
DDS is quite young (1999) and has experienced a fast growth to reach a
present level of 100 people. The Department has managed, in less than 10
years, to develop a unique teaching and research environment on the design
of artifacts (products and systems) and their interaction with society,
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
and become a high-level player at the national and international level. It is
housed in a modern and well-equipped Ingvar Kamprad Design Centre.
The lab facilities are extensive and in several respects unique.
The interdisciplinary nature of the research field is reflected in the very
extensive cooperation network of the Department: national research
schools and projects, international projects (14 EU projects), organization
of national and international conferences.
The academic staffs has grown from 17 in 2003 to 28 in 2007, clearly demonstrating
the vitality of the Department. In 2007, DDS was one of the
biggest Department’s of the LTH in terms of number of academic staff,
doctoral students in 2007 (46), and having one of the best gender ratios
at 43%. The high average age of the Professors (57 for the overall department
and 59 for Division Packaging Logistics and Machine Design) is
of concern especially for the two divisions with` only 3 professors. The
number of PhD students is at the low side and has remained stationary
over the last five years.
The publication output of DDS has steadily increasing. Articles in
refereed journals increased from 19 in 2003 to 43 in 2007, which, with
more than 1.5 publications per academic per year, is close to excellent.
Conference papers remain constant at a high level of 35 per year. Several
books have been published, mainly in English.
1.3 Research Infrastructure Very good (4)
In 2002, the Department moved into the Ingvar Kamprad Design
Centre, a new building and an attractive place to work in. The Department
has well-equipped laboratory facilities, some of them with unique
infrastructure making them unique and world-class. The main labs are:
Aerosol Lab, Virtual Reality Lab, Thermal Environment Lab, Usability
Lab, Workshops and halls, Video Conferencing Facility. Apart from
the availability of computer facilities for students there is no mention of
special computing facilities to support research, or facilities (i.e. robotics
lab, or packaging testing lab) to support the two Divisions; Packaging
Logistics and Machine Design. Having to maintain, develop and update
such extensive research infrastructure is a heavy burden for a Department.
The self-evaluation document does not say much about the financial
arrangements in place for depreciation and equipment renewal.
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
The department’s organization and governance seem excellent. Its profile,
culture and values seem attractive for students, companies and academics
alike.
1.4 Research Quality
In view of the completely different nature of the two Divisions, and the
fact that the three other Divisions of the Department are dealt with by
another Panel, each is assessed separately. The external R&D revenue for
DPL and DMD in 2007, per academic staff member, was only alarmingly
around 31% of the 2003 level. A major point of concern.
1.4.1 Quality
a) Division Packaging Logistics (DPL) Excellent (5)
In spite of the fact that it was established in the mid-1990s, DPL has
developed into a respected research group. Their holistic approach,
integrating packaging and its logistics, makes them unique on a global
scale. They are participating, as programme leaders, in two major Swedish
projects: Product Innovation Engineering (PIEp), a 10-year Swedish
national program with the purpose of strengthening the ability in
innovative product and business development; and the VINN Excellence
Centre NGIL (Next Generation Innovative Logistics), which proves their
standing in the national research arena on the subject. Their coverage of
the subject is quite comprehensive, including Traceability, Risk management,
E-commerce, Packaging and the environment, and Simulation of
packaging logistics.
b) Division Machine Design (DMD) Insufficient (2)
As there is very little on DMD in the self-evaluation document, the
website of Maskinkonstruktion, available only in Swedish, was consulted.
The Division, founded in the 1960s, still claims its main achievements
to be the development of design theory and of a product development
methodology. The teaching activity around these subjects seems to be an
important asset for the department for attracting students to the department.
There is growing research collaboration on packaging development
with the Division of Packaging Logistics. Any trace of recent publication
activity on the subjects of design theory or product development could
not be found. Presently, the main research activity of DMD seems to be
in the field of industrial and service robotics and simulation of manufacturing
systems.
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
1.4.2 Productivity
For the two Divisions (DPL and DMD) the ratio of publications in
refereed journals per academic staff has decreased from 1.67 (in 2003) to
1.29 (in 2007) while conference papers have almost constant.
a) Division Packaging Logistics (DPL) Good (3)
DPL, with 7 academics, published some 19 international journal papers,
with 3 more under review, and some 28 papers in proceedings of international
conferences.
In the DPL website we can find that 5 PhDs dissertations have been
published over the period 2003-2007 (only 1 in 2007), which is quite
low. The combined productivity score, including journal papers, conference
papers and PhD’s is good.
Impact of publications – best five.
• Citations Poor (1)
All of the five selected papers had zero citations, although some
of them dated all the way back to 2002.
• Type of Journal (impact factor) Insufficient (2)
The impact factor of the journals ranged from 0 tol 0.552
• Hirsch-index Insufficient (2)
The authors of the best-five papers were not from the academic
staff of the Division, but probably PhD-students. Therefore an
h-index analysis was made for all the academics of the Division.
Only one has any citations (5 in total), and has an h-index of 2.
• PhD/Researcher Ratio Good (3)
There are 9 (7?) PhD students (in industry) for 7 academic staff,
which is low. The historical data for the period 2003–2007
could not be traced from the self-evaluation document
b) Division Machine Design (DMD) Insufficient (2)
DMD, with 6 academics, produced 12 international papers and 2 conference
papers (retrievable from the website of 1 professor).
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
Impact of publications-best five
• Citations Good (3)
The number of citations ranges between 0 and 5, with an
average of 3. Citations per publication.
• Type of Journal (impact factor) Insufficient (2)
The impact factor of the journals ranged between 0,265 and
5.151. If the medically oriented paper (which is an exception) is
not considered the average of 0.627 is low for the discipline.
• Hirsch-index Good (3)
Only three of the (6) academics of the Division had a non-zero
citation score. The average citation score for them was 47
(9,5,127) and the average h-index is 2.7 (2,1,5)
• PhD/Researcher Ratio Insufficient (2)
There are 4 PhD students (in industry) for 6 academics, which is
quite low.
1.4.3 Relevance Very good (4)
The two Divisions have an extensive portfolio of contracts with industrial
companies in Sweden and abroad. This amounts, for the period
2003-2007, to 18 projects for DMD and 39 for DPL. Unfortunately, the
size and type of these contracts could not be inferred from the provided
data, but these numbers clearly demonstrate the high industrial and/or
societal relevance of the two Divisions.
As an outcome of their R&D efforts between 2003 and 2007, DPL was
granted one (1) patent while DMD got five (5) patents, however no spinoffs
were established from the research out put of these two Division’s
were found. Since the research topics (both current and foreseen) are of
high relevance, potentially significant more patents and spin-offs should
be forthcoming.
DPL cannot meet the demand for graduates for research and industry.
1.4.4 Vitality
The Department as a whole has seen its academic staff grow from 17 in
2003 to 28 in 2007, with an equivalent increase in PhD students from 17
to 46. It is unclear how the two Divisions DMD and DPL have evolved.
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It can be said however that the number of PhD students per researcher
is at the low side in both Divisions should be greater. The main reason
seems to be competition for candidates from industry.
a) Division Packaging Logistics (DPL) Excellent (5)
DPL is clearly orientated towards the future, with active participation
in PIEp (Product Innovation Engineering program, a 10-year Swedish
national program with the purpose of strengthening the ability in innovative
product- and business development, and the VINN Excellence
Centre NGIL (Next Generation Innovative Logistics), and by taking
subjects like ‘Packaging logistics and the environment’ in their research
portfolio. They have academic partners in the US (Georgia Tech, MIT,
Michigan State), UK (Cranfield) and Sweden (Chalmers). They are active
in international research networks such as NOFOMA and LRN.
Their focus is well defined: the integration of packaging and logistics,
making them fairly unique in their approach, and successful in industry
because of the increasing societal relevance of the subject.
b) Division Machine Design (DMD) Good (3)
DMD’s research focus is unclear. As can be inferred from the Division’s
website, mainly in Swedish (no information on DMD was available in
the self-evaluation document), the Division, founded in the 1960s, still
claims its main achievements to be the development of design theory
and of a product development methodology. There is traceable research
collaboration on packaging development with the Division of Packaging
Logistics. Evidence of recent publication activity on these subjects could
not be found. The teaching activity around product development and
design theory seems to be an important asset for the Department to
attract students and as such constitutes an important value for the vitality
and viability of the Department.
Presently, the main research activity of DMD seems to be in the field of
industrial and service robotics, and simulation of manufacturing systems,
with some excursions into machine vision. This research is predominantly
application orientated. The number of industrial collaborations is a clear
indication that this research line is vital for Swedish industry.
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1.5 Collaboration DPL: Very good (4)/DMD: Good (3)
The level of academic collaboration of DPL is very good, nationally as
well as internationally. This level is much more restricted for DMD both
international as national. Very little evidence of joint publications could
be found (one in 2005 for DMD, with EPFL, Switzerland).
1.6 Research Activity and Teaching
a) Division Machine Design (DMD) Excellent (5)
DMD offers an extensive number of courses on CAD/CAM, design
theory, product development, digital factory, robotics, which are partly
based on past and present research programmes, attracting many students
from different disciplines.
DMD is responsible for a large portion of the undergraduate courses in
Mechanical Engineering (50% of the students choose to concentrate on
product development).
b) Division Packaging Logistics (DPl) Very good (4)
DPL also offers several courses on Packaging Technology and Packaging
Logistics, partly based on ongoing research. It’s noteworthy that the
DPL School of Packaging offers courses to students from Michigan State
University. DPL also participates in the Logistics Services Management
and the Technology Management program [See DPL website].
Evaluation of Future Plans DDS: Excellent (5) / DPL&DMD: Very good (4)
Central in the future plans of the department is the intention for increased
collaboration between subject areas. Central to that plan is design
theory and product development. This again emphasizes the importance
of the Division of Machine Design in this plan. (This Division was virtually
impossible to assess due to the very limited information provided in
the self-evaluation documents).
The integral vision put forward in the future plans and programmes:
‘Elderly people and design’, ‘Integrated product and packaging development’,
‘Product Innovation’, ‘Sustainable society’, shows the clear
vision of the Department, that a holistic view on design is the way to go.
However, there is a clear need on more basic reflections about the identity
and common theoretical basis of the design sciences to solve the identity
problem of the department, which is a weakness.
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It is not clear, in view of the high average age of the DPL and DMD
professors, as to long in the future the standing of DMD in design theory
and product development will be safeguarded. Some of the topics for
future research are very clearly outlined and highly relevant, but there
seem to be no clear vision or mechanism as to how to achieve them. Some
critical issues that need to be addressed in the near future are: i) How to
solve the vital problem of balancing teaching and research in the two divisions,
in particular in DMD, and ii) How to renew the academic staff.
1.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Good (4)
A continued and increased collaboration between DMD and DPL is
essential for the viability of both Divisions. Collaboration with the Department
IML could also be developed since there are overlaps on many
topics (e.g. risk management, visibility in SCs).
The future of the robotics activity of DMD is less clear. It would be advisable
to explore the service robotics track, next to the industrial robotics
track that deserves to be continued, more systematically. This might
require the recruitment of specialists in the more ‘soft’ directions (AI), and
enhancement of opportunities for collaboration with other Divisions of the
Department, such as Division Rehabilitation Technology and Ergonomics.
At a more general level, the department should increase its basic efforts to
reach a clarified vision of what are the specificities of the Design Sciences in
order to gain a more grounded image of what design research is about.
1.8 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
With 30% female (43% in DPL and DMD) academic staff the Department
scores very well.
1.9 Viability
Achievements
The DDS Department has been able, in less than 10 years, to generate
a unique teaching and research environment on the design of artifacts
(products and systems) and their interaction with society, and has
achieved national and international prominence. DPL has developed
into an equally unique and relevant-for-society research group on the
integration of packaging and logistics. DMD is capitalizing on its
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previously acquired unique knowledge base on design theory and product
development. Its robotics research is industrially driven and therefore
predominantly application oriented.
Strengths
Department: interdisciplinarity, society-oriented subjects, strong culture
and identity with attractive values considering contemporary societal
hot topics. DPL: integrated vision on packaging, society-oriented with a
lot of research topics with easy-to-find funding from companies and UE
(green logistics, sustainable development, waste management, eco-design
of products and packaging, etc.). DMD: research-driven education in
design theory and product development, industry-relevant, application
oriented robotics research.
Weaknesses
As a whole the Department has a poor publication record there are too
many non-publishing researchers. DPL and DMD: impending retirement
of senior researchers, difficulty to compete with industry to recruit
people, publication policy not enough directed towards refereed international
journals with high impact. DMD: questionable future of design
and product development research, narrow scope of robotics research.
Future potential
The Department is ideally suited for increased research into ‘the sustainable
society’ with a high prospect of success. Increased synergism between
DPL and DMD has great potential.
2. Department of Industrial Electrical
Engineering and Automation (IEA)
2.1 Overall Assessment Excellent (5)
The, relatively small, IEA Department occupies a leading role, nationally
as well as internationally, through high-level research, based on an integrated
approach, in three research areas of high relevance to society: electric
power systems, waste and wastewater systems and electrical machines
and drives. It is well equipped and houses some unique laboratories
such as the Drives Laboratory and the Distribution Systems Laboratory.
Collaboration, academic and industrial, is extensive. The publication
record of IEA is impressive, both quantitatively as well as qualitatively.
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They have extremely successful in transferring their research knowledge
to education by writing several successful and internationally acknowledged
textbooks. The staff is very mobile and many guest researchers are
welcomed at the Department. The project portfolio is extensive, funded
by national and international funding agencies, as well as by industry, although
bilateral industrial collaboration is surprisingly limited. Of great
concern is that the academic staff is stagnating in number, is exclusively
male, and that the number of PhD students is declining.
2.2 Research Infrastructure Very good (4)
The Department has an advanced research infrastructure at their disposal
in the three research fields: electrical power systems, water and waste
water systems and electrical machines and drives. Their electric drives
lab is unique in that it contains smaller machines (kW range rather than
10-kW range), making it very flexible and affordable, but still allows to
test combinations of AC and DC systems and to mimic real distribution
systems. They also have a privately sponsored Distribution System
Laboratory, to be used for research in distributed energy systems research,
for teaching purposes and for training practicing engineers.
2.3 Research Quality Excellent (5)
In spite of the fact that in 2007 almost all factors related to R&D
functions, namely revenue, PhD students, and publications are on the
decline from 2003 levels the Department has still maintained a level of
excellence. External R&D funding in 2007, per academic staff member,
decreased by almost 35% from the 2003 level, however significantly
increased EU helped make up some of this loss.
2.3.1 Quality Excellent (5)
Most of the research at IEA is application oriented. The emphasis is on
integration aspects of electric power systems, electric drive systems and
control of industrial processes (mainly waste and waste water treatment).
IEA also wants to be academically competitive.
The quality of the industrially oriented research cannot be inferred from
the few industrial projects they run (SAAB, Energinet.dk), although it
seems that the number of bilateral projects directly sponsored by industry
is relatively low. The Department is much more successful in ascertaining
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research funding from EU Framework Programmes, EU Interreg, Grön
Bil, SSF/ Proviking (Strategic Fund), The Swedish Research Council, and
this is a better measure of scientific standing and quality.
The Departments quality international publications is good, and in
journals with impact factors around 1, and with a moderate number of
citations. A special mention deserve the highly successful textbooks, on
‘Computer systems for control’ and on ‘Wastewater treatment systems’,
which are considered as standards in their fields. It is noteworthy that
several faculty members have received prestige’s scientific awards.
2.3.2 Productivity Very good (4)
The Department, with 7 academics in 2007, published some 9 papers
in refereed journals and 12 papers in conference proceedings, i.e. 1.29
journal papers per researcher. This is slightly lower than the 1.67 per
researcher achieved in 2003. Citations ranged between 0 and 29.
Impact of publications – best five
The best-five (in fact best-four) list provided by the department contains
two books. These are ‘bestsellers’ in their field, with many citations in
Google Scholar (62 and 105), but they cannot be considered as peer
reviewed publications. Of the other two publications, one is a conference
paper, not cited in SCI, and the fourth one is published in a journal
with impact factor 0.9 and with no ISI citations. Therefore it was not
possible to evaluate citations, type of journal (impact factor), Hirsch
Index for the best five publications. However, for the whole Department
it is noteworthy that of the 7 academics + Prof. G. Olsson (emeritus)
faculty, with 2 having no citations, the 6 others have 531 citations
(1+27+190+13+27+273), and an average h-index of 5 (1,1,8,1,4,6).
PhD/Researcher Ratio Insufficient (2)
The number of PhDs is 8, with no PhDs in 2007 and the number of
licentiates 11, with 2 in 2007. These are low numbers, too low for a
Department of that standing, and a cause for serious worry.
2.3.3 Relevance Excellent (5)
The industrial relevance of their research is clearly shown by a staggering
figure of 45 patents filed and 5 spin-off companies created. It is therefore
strange that the number of industrial partnerships that could be identified
from the IEA website is quite limited. On the other hand, 3 adjunct
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professors have been attracted from industry, which shows a close relationship
with industry. The potential social impact of the research, e.g. in
hybrid vehicles and distributed electric power systems, is considerable.
2.3.4 Vitality Very good (4)
The academic staff has slightly increased from 6 to 7, with an average
age of 55. The department has a clear strategic plan to promote younger
faculty members to full and associate professorships. Three persons from
industry are applying for associate professorship in 2008. How the plans
to strengthen the collaboration with Swedish power industry will be
realized remains to be seen.
The absence of long-term financing is considered by the EIA Department
as a major threat to its vitality
2.4 Collaboration Excellent (5)
The international research collaboration is very intensive, with 6 visiting
researchers at post-doc level and higher, three visiting PhD students, and
5 visits by IEA staff abroad. The department has collaborated with 23
institutes out of which several joint publications resulted.
2.5 Research Activity and Teaching Excellent (5)
The excellent record of IEA in transferring knowledge from research to
teaching is illustrated by the publication of two bestselling textbooks,
one on ‘Computer Systems for Automation and Control’, and another on
‘Wastewater Treatment Systems’, both from Prof. G. Olsson (now retired)
and co-authors. Besides these, IEA academics have produced 5 other
textbooks.
2.6 Evaluation of Future Plans Excellent (5)
The vision of the department is to be national leader –which it is alreadyin
its three areas of research: control and automation in wastewater
systems, electrical distribution systems, electric drive systems in hybrid
vehicles. This is a logical decision in view of the interest and prominence
of Swedish industry in these three future-oriented subjects.
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2.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Very good (4)
The three research subjects are completely in line with some of the
(Swedish) societal problems of the 21st century: energy scarcity (hybrid
vehicles, distributed energy generation), waste and waste water treatment.
The integrated approach they advocate makes them eminently suited
to take a leading role, nationally but also internationally. Information
technology will have a large impact on the way future distributed local
energy sources (cogeneration) will be exploited. Interesting opportunities
exist for the Department in the field of drives for hybrid vehicles.
2.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
With zero percent women in the academic staff, the department scores
very badly. The share of women among the doctoral students is around
25%, which is quite satisfactory.
2.9 Viability
Achievements
The IEA Department occupies a leading role, nationally as well as internationally,
through high-level research, based on an integrated approach,
in three research areas of high relevance to society: electric power systems,
waste and wastewater systems and electrical machines and drives. They
have succeeded in transferring their research knowledge to education by
writing several successful and internationally acknowledged textbooks.
Strengths
The Departments interdisciplinary and integrated approach to research
that is current and society-relevant.
Weaknesses
More a threat than a weakness is the declining number of PhD students.
There is a danger for the department to become subcritical in size. A lot
will depend here on the success of the strategic plans for recruitment of
new faculty.
Future Potential
The increasing attention for energy saving in the entire society provides
excellent opportunities for the Department to expand their activities and
serve the Swedish industry and the society at large.
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3. Department of Energy Sciences
3.1 Overall Assessment Very good (4)
The department of Energy Sciences is one of the oldest (1963) and one
of the biggest in the College of Engineering. It seems to be a very active
Department that does not hesitate to change to keep in tune with its local
and international environment. Over the period 2003–2007, the academic
staff remained stable (21) as well as the number of doctoral students
(36 vs.35) but the other personnel declined (24 to 14) which is probably
linked to the decline of the revenues of the department. Dependence
on external funding is a problematic issue since almost 75% of income
is from external funding. It is therefore a major problem to plan future
activity and maintain every-day operation as well as temporary staff. In
spite of this the governance of the department seems clear and helps the
department to reach its objectives and to evolve. The Department is excellent
for PhD education but the level of involvement in undergraduate
teaching is low. Since undergraduate education is a strategic issue, which
is essential for future development, and a source for revenues, it should be
actively pursued.
3.2 Research Infrastructure Very good (4)
The governance of the department of Energy Sciences seems clear. The
department has 5 research groups (each with a professor as the scientific
leader) with a common administration. The groups are responsible for
creating financial support for their research activities and to define their
research subjects that are pursued for PhD education. There are collaborations
between groups and common resources are handled and controlled
at the department level.
The department seems well equipped with good laboratories for combustion
research, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. A new laboratory
for combustion engines is planned and the laboratories for heat transfer
research will be renovated. The advanced laser based instrumentation
for fluid flow and the thermographical equipment for heat transfer
measurements are appropriate for research in these areas. The facilities
for numerical modelling are also good. But in these research areas, it is
necessary to maintain, develop and update research infrastructure that,
again, puts pressure on the funding question. It is not clear what financial
arrangements are in place for depreciation and equipment renewal.
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3.3 Research Quality Very good (4)
External R&D revenue for the Department in 2007, per academic staff
member, decreased by almost 28% from the 2003 level, although EU
funding was significantly higher. This trend is of major concern since the
Department is highly dependent on the quality and quantity of its R&D
efforts via the PhD program, which will no doubt be the first to suffer.
3.3.1 Quality Excellent (5)
The reputation of the department, in particular the combustion engines
group, seems to be excellent. It has been the leader in the field of
‘combustion engine’ (HCCI) with numerable pioneering studies of high
relevance for many companies. The heat transfer research group is also
highly regarded, with leadership and a strong level of engagement with
the international heat transfer research community.
The Department has an impressive publication record with publications
in journals such as; Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, Physics of Fluids, ASME – J.
Heat Transfer, J. Fluids Structures, Int. J. Multiphase Flow, to name a few.
All these journals are well regarded and range from Excellent to a few
in the Good category. However, it is noteworthy that some of the most
important (at least in the USA) Journals currently ranked as the top in
Energy (J. of Power Sources, J. of Fuel Cell Tech., and Int. J. of Hydrogen
Energy) do not feature strongly. This is related to the Departments
traditional area of R&D, but highlights the need to continue their early
stage research efforts in biofuels and hydrogen, fuel cells etc.
Hirsch Index for researchers in the department was in the 0 to 19 ranges.
Two staff members were over 10, which is excellent.
3.3.2 Productivity Excellent (5)
In 2007, the department published (43) papers in refereed journals, and
(35) conference papers, i.e. around 2.05 per academic staff member, as
compared to 1.05 in 2003. Which is excellent relative to other departments
in LTH. The ratio of conference publications increased from 1.42 in 2003
to 1.67 in 2007. There were also 4 edited volumes, but no books. The most
important change concerning article productivity occurred between 2006
and 2007; it is important that this step increase in productivity is sustained.
Among ‘other publication’, doctoral thesis represent 58,4% of the publications
over the years 2002 to 2007, and 53% in 2007. The department is one
of the leaders in the Faculty of Engineering for Doctoral thesis publications
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which is coherent with the doctoral student staff and the academic staff.
The level of doctoral thesis production of around 10/year had been constantly
maintained from 2003 to 2007, which is excellent.
3.3.3 Relevance Very good (4)
The department of Energy covers a wide range of the energy area, thus
research combines fundamental and applied research, theoretical and experimental
research. The 5 research groups develop industrial partnerships
with companies that fund projects and support PhD students (8 PhD
students among the 12 that are currently in the department are employed
by a company). It is unfortunate that most of the reports (that are classic
outputs in industrial partnerships) are unavailable and not published.
The department benefit from the support of many companies, some of
them with substantially research projects. Social impact of the research
is very good as the results are of high concern for modern lifestyle, its
relation to the environment and sustainable development. But the department
seems to focus mainly on ‘classic energy’. Although this is still pertinent,
in the long run it is not a sustainable position and the department
needs to strengthen its research in current and future energy domains.
The department has a good interaction with the society but needs to be
considerably more active. Their engagement in the society can be further
developed. Reliance on a few individuals for a major part of the contributions
and networking needs to be addressed and resolved. The combustion
engines group seems active in interacting with society (newspapers
articles, communication with journalists).
3.3.4 Vitality Good (3)
The Department of Energy Sciences is a recognized global leader in
specific areas of technology. It is an active department with good networking
both locally and internationally. It has numerous collaborating
institutes, and visiting researchers. The number of invitations to lecture
at international conferences, the invitations to chair sessions, present
plenary or keynote lectures, are all signs of vitality. However, the department
urgently needs to move into new and cutting edge areas of energy
science. This is not only necessary for it’s very existence but will also help
generate considerable funding opportunities (since most of the funding
is now directed to these areas) and help resolve it’s most critical issue,
namely funding.
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3.4 Collaboration Excellent (5)
The level of national and international collaboration seems to be excellent.
The Department of Energy Science actively works with other research
centres and collaborative organisations in Sweden as well as at the
European level. There have been 20 visiting researchers staying for three
months or more, and 4 researchers that worked at other institutions for
three or more months. The guest professors program has had 4 visitors.
The department even contributes for research outside the energy sector.
The 5 research groups within the Department have several collaborative
programs, joint proposals, joint papers and teaching. The department also
has strong collaboration with other departments within LTH and LU
under the umbrella of the Combustion Centre FTC, and the CECOST
(one of the SSf strategic centers).
3.5 Research Activity and Teaching Very good (4)
Academic staff and PhD students are not involved enough in the undergraduate
teaching process (undergraduate teaching is about 10% of
the departments budget). Revenues from undergraduate teaching have
slightly increased from 2003 to 2007 but the ratio of revenue for undergraduate
education per researcher is still poor. PhD education, on the
contrary is excellent and the department is probably very attractive for
national and international students.
3.6 Evaluation of Future Plans Very good (4)
The department has detected interesting promising research areas (e.g. in
the transportation sector that is looking for environmentally acceptable
engines, low fuel consuming vehicle and alternative fuels) that could may
be sustain its current level for the near future. New collaboration could
result in the developed new funding sources and may be some diversification
of their R&D effort. Furthermore, developing collaboration
with economics, organization and human behaviour is a good idea. But
improving modelling competences thanks to new tools or techniques to
deal with complex process is relevant and should be actively pursued.
The plan for a new laboratory for combustion engines and the renovation
of laboratories for heat transfer research will are right on. In this
kind of sciences it is necessary to continuously upgrade the research
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infrastructure and be current. The departments target to increase the
level of undergraduate teaching from 10 to 25% engagement is excellent.
Apart from added income, most importantly it will enhance and further
spread knowledge of energy related issues, one of the most critical global
problems facing mankind.
3.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Very good (4)
With respect to the development of research dealing with sustainable
development in transport, logistics and supply chain management,
the department probably could develop joint research with the related
department in LU. The department needs to carefully watch its environment
to anticipate changes in funding rules and to detect research
opportunities outside the Energy sector.
The most active research of the department is conducted in the ‘classic
energy’ areas. Projects concerning renewable energies (photovoltaics,
biomass, wind, solar power, ocean, etc.) which are research areas that
benefit from EU funding need to be considerably expanded. In general
the Department should expand into the cutting edge technologies related
to energy. Through additional collaboration within LTH and national
and international institutions the department could get involved with
new trends and emerging areas such as clean energy and climate change.
3.8 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
In respect of gender, the department is one of the worst in the College
of Engineering, with regard to the academic staff (women=0%). But
considering the decreasing % of women in PhDs it is probably not so easy
to find women in Energy Sciences compared to other fields. Although
disappointing, these figures look typical of trends in many countries.
There is insufficient information to address this matter further but the
department is encouraged to strive towards good gender balance, of both
staff and research students.
3.9 Viability
Achievements
• Publications (articles, conferences, doctoral thesis
• PhD educations
• Collaborations
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Strengths
• Department governance
• Competence that cover a wide range of the energy area.
Weaknesses
• Research funding (decreasing)
• Undergraduate teaching
• Gender
Future potential
• Develop European research community
• Scope for development of research activities and funding in clean
energy and climate change related issues (e.g. renewable energies)
• Strengthen networking in Education
• Increase participation of Enterprises in education programmes
• Strong Department with plenty of potential but it is critical that
research funding is put on a firmer footing and that all academic staff
engage with the scientific research community
4. Department of Industrial Management
and Logistic
4.1 Overall Assessment Very good (4)
The Department of Industrial Management and Logistics is heavily
involved in undergraduate teaching, which seems to be a major activity
and source of revenue. The department has also been successful in
research and has published in top journals, both in production management
and logistics. However, the overall scientific research productivity
in spite of increased revenue has been stagnant. Although it has been
selected as a member of a new Excellence Center in Logistics, with
important grants, these achievements have been too dependent on a
small number of scholars who are going to retire soon. Moreover, during
the last years the productivity, vitality, and the capacity to attract PhD
students or international scholars, have been below the potential of the
department. All this suggests that future plans are too uncertain and the
viability issue is a concern. The quality of past academic records suggests
that strategic planning issues and actions need critical attention of the
faculty.
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4.2 Research Infrastructure Not graded
Lack of available information made it impossible to make a reliable
evaluation. The department is the outcome of two merged divisions in
2001, having different research methods and belong to different research
communities: the PM Division which mainly builds on purely theoretical
models in the tradition of Optimization; the EL Division which
was more oriented towards grounded management research (strategies,
processes, risks, value) with a small engineering component. In the
Department EL and PM are still two separate Divisions with separate
research areas that have collaborations and share infrastructure. Due to
considerable revenues from teaching in teaching, the Department is less
dependent on external funding than other Departments of LTH.
4.3 Research Quality Very good (4)
Due to the diverse nature of research activity of the two divisions separate
evaluation are reported. It is noteworthy that the Department of
Industrial Management and Logistics, was among the few, if not the only
Department in LTH that had increased revenue in 2007, per academic
staff, in both teaching and R&D over it’s 2003 level, and still had a
negative total revenue in 2007. It’s external R&D revenue in 2007, per
staff, increased by 35% over 2003. However EU funding was almost half
in 2007 as compared to 2006 level.
4.3.1 Quality Very good (4)
Both Divisions have publications in the best journals (top 10) in their
discipline. However, it should be noted that logistics and production
management journals are not highly ranked compared to other fields. PM
Division (publishing in Operations Research, Management Science) has
developed a leading position in the special field of optimization methods
for multi-echelon inventory policies and systems. While the EL Division
(publishing in Int. J of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, J
of Business Logistics) has contributed to a large scope of contemporary
research issues in the field of logistics. Unfortunately publication contribution
is limited to a few individuals. To achieve excellence this trend
need to be rectified.
4.3.2 Productivity Very good (4)
Publications: From 2002 to 2007 (6 years) the department published 31
articles in refereed journals. During the same period, the average number
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of full time academic staff was 7 (2003 and 2007 mean). This makes a
ratio of 0.75 papers by senior researcher. The article ratio has improved
over the period 2003-2007 (from 0,75 to 0,86), while the conference
ratio has slightly decreased.
Since in management and logistics the average citation index, Hirsch
Index, and Journal Impact factor are almost irrelevant compared to other
fields, they have not been evaluated. The quality of journals is the best
proxy for evaluating, which was very good.
PhD/Researcher Ratio Insufficient (2)
The department has produced 6 PhD (1/year) which is less than one per
senior researcher. However, the trend seems to be positive since in 2007
there were 14 registered doctoral students, which resulted in 4 publications
(Doctoral and Licentiate).
4.3.3 Relevance Very good (4)
Some research in the EL Division has been of direct industrial and social
relevance, resulting in 8 patents and two start-ups. However, it seems that
this is due to the contribution of one researcher. The amount of commissioned
research in 2007 has decreased by more than 50% from 2003
level, in spite of the substantial industrial partnerships and management
research orientation of the EL Division. However, this may be to a certain
extent be related to the parallel increase of research grants. The Department
has very good interaction with the society, and it’s academic staff is
often invited to give lectures at international conferences.
4.3.4 Vitality Very good (4)
The department has a national and international leading position in
logistics. It is also part of the new NGIL centre. Yet, several elements suggest
declining vitality. The research activity seems too concentrated on a
small number of academics, leading to a lower average rate of publication
for the whole Department. The participation to international conferences
is declining. There has been no visiting researcher (for at least three
months) during the last six years; the capacity to attract PhD’s is limited;
the replacement of the academic leaders is uncertain. In spite of all these
issues the ‘very good’ level of grade is based on the excellent productivity
of a few of the staff.
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4.4 Collaboration [International] Very good (4); [National] Excellent (5)
Within the NGIL centre the two divisions of the department collaborate
between themselves and with other departments of LTH. Additionally,
both Divisions collaborate in teaching and separately in research with
several groups within LU. The department is also active in National and
Nordic collaborations, and with researchers from UK and US for maritime
risk research and developed, an EU project. The Oresund Logistics
project seems interesting and should lead several developments in the
future.
4.5 Research Activity and Teaching Excellent (5)
The link between research and teaching seems be excellent as the content
of research is directly and easily transferable to courses. The involvement
of research faculty in teaching is substantial at every level (undergraduate,
graduate and PhD). Students do industry and research projects at the
Master level. However, the low number of PhD students is alarming, and
can pose a major threat for future development of the department.
4.6 Evaluation of Future Plans Good (3)
The involvement of the department within the new VINN Excellence
Centre NGIL is an important and positive asset for the future in terms of
grants and interdepartmental collaborations. However, the Department
has clearly indicated that there is no clear plan as to how the it will have,
or be able to attract, the academic capacity (staff and PhDs) that will be
needed to be a full partner in NGIL. This is a critical issue and need
immediate attention. Furthermore, a another critical issue is the renewal
of academic staff since 3 professors will retire within the next 2 years.
4.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Very good (4)
The department produces high quality research on well-established
domains of logistics research and is developing new issues such as risk,
security and visibility on the one hand and sustainable SCs on the other
hand. Bridging SC design and Law is also a pertinent project, highly
relevant. Yet some important areas of contemporary logistics research
seem not to be addressed, and should be developed in the context of
NGIL: the influence of logistics models and organizations on the
design of new products in high tech and high velocity environments; the
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logistics of new urban mobility solutions (share driving, public shared
bicycles or cars…). Networking with other important academic centers
in the Oresund region could be attractive for academics looking for new
positions.
4.8 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
With respect of gender, the department is one of the worst in the College
of Engineering, in particular for the academic staff (women=0%). In
several countries, management research has attracted a growing number
of women. The grounded style of logistic research should improve the
gender ratio in PhD students.
4.9 Viability
The future plans of the IML department clearly raise issues about its viability.
The department has achieved high research quality, it has attracted
important grants and it is involved in major new projects of the University.
Yet, there is an organizational threat that could endanger in a short
term the sustainability of the department. It is critical that the faculty
conduct strategic discussions in order to build and develop a vision for the
department within the next six years: special focus should be made on the
constitution of a new leading team, and on how to increase the number
of PhD students. Furthermore, in terms of substance, the department
should focus more on emerging areas of research.
5. Department of Mechanical Engineering
5.1 Overall Assessment Good (3)
The Department of Mechanical Engineering has 15.5 research staff, split
into two broad research groupings. In each of these groupings there are
specific areas in which the research quality is high, as evidenced by journal
publications and by the international profile of the researchers. There
is a good level of engagement in international conferences and much
of the research involves industrial partnership, indicated the relevance
of the work. The main weaknesses of the department, from a research
perspective, are the low number of doctoral research students and the
falling research revenue from some external sources. In addition, the level
of international research collaboration is low.
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5.2 Research Infrastructure Very good (4)
The experimental resources available to the department appear to be
very good, with a broad range of standard and specialized equipment in
the manufacturing laboratory, covering a wide range of manufacturing
methods, and a unique metal cutting research lab for measuring dynamic
cutting forces and for machinability studies. Furthermore, special equipment
for studying induction heating and for high-pressure tribology is
available. In Materials Engineering, the laboratory facilities and support
engineer are shared with the Division of Solid Mechanics (Department
of Construction Science). No information is supplied on the computing
facilities for numerical modelling.
5.3 Research Quality Good (3)
The organization of the department has undergone a number of changes
over the last several years, a factor which makes it difficult to establish
patterns of research activity and output. The rationale for this restructuring
is not clear and the end result is a small department without a critical
mass, with four separate divisions that combine to form two research
groupings. This fragmented structure, particularly in the Materials
Science area, must contribute to administrative complexity and seems
to have restricted research potential. External R&D revenue in 2007,
per research staff, decreased around 8% from 2003, while EU funding
decreased by more than 70%.
5.3.1 Quality Good (3)
In terms of international comparability, the department performs well,
for its size, and has an international profile in a couple of focused areas
such as fatigue (thermo-mechanical, short crack propagation) and metal
cutting (tool wear). In Machine Elements, the department has had a
strong international reputation in tribology, however the research leader
in this area retired in 2006. Much of the research activity in the DPME/
ME group is applied and the spread of research projects is large for a
relatively small research group. Although this interdisciplinary research
is valuable, the range of interests makes it difficult to make an impact in
any particular area, which is mandatory to achieve international research
excellence.
The Materials/Mechanics research group is actively pursuing research in
the field of nano mechanics, an important area with potential for growth.
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This is a recent change in research direction but has already produced a
publication in a high impact journal (Phys. Rev. B). There appears to be
no research activity in biomaterials or biomechanics, an area in which
there is currently considerable scope for attracting research funding.
5.3.2 Productivity Good (3)
The 15.5 researchers staff produced 8 journal and 2 conference papers
between them in 2007, i.e. 0.52 journal papers per researcher. [The record
in earlier years was better, e.g. 18 journal and 13 conference papers for
the 19 academic staff in 2003.] From the information available, it appears
that most of the journals have good impact factors for their specific areas
and the overall rating is good.
Impact of publications – best five
• Citation Very good (4)
For the five selected papers in Production Engineering/Machine
Elements the maximum number of citations were 14, for a paper
published in 2004 (Scopus). None of these papers has fewer than 3
citations. In Materials/Mechanics, the maximum number of citations
for any of the five selected papers was 3. Most of the selected papers
are very recent, which explains the low number of citations. However,
a paper published in 2001 received 55 citations, which is unusually
high for an individual paper.
• Type of Journal (impact factor) Good (3)
The journal impact factors quoted range from 1 to over 3 for the papers
selected in the Materials/Mechanics research area. These are good
impact factors for journals in this area and the journals themselves are
highly regarded. For the Production/Machine Elements group, the
journal impact factors for the selected papers range from around 0.6
to 1.2. Again, these impact factors are good for publications in this
area and the specific journals are suitable.
• Hirsch Index Good (3)
The average Hirsch index from the 15 staff members was 3.1, with the
research leaders having indices of 5 or 6 (Scopus). These low Hirsch
indices for most of the staff may reflect their high teaching loads and
the lack of job security.
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• PhD/Researcher Ratio Insufficient (2)
There are 8 registered students for 15.5 research staff (2007); this is low.
The historical record looks better, with 19 completed PhDs within the
period 2003–2007 but the number of academic staff was also higher
during some of this period, with 19 academic staff in 2003.
5.3.3 Relevance Very good (4)
There is a very good level of relevance to the research, with 3 patents
taken out and 3 spin-off companies over the period 2003–2007. Evidence
of industrial partnerships is presented, with several companies sponsoring
research in the department. In terms of social impact, several staff has
contributed to Governmental Inquiries. In addition, 19 text books and
4 popular science papers/books have been prepared by members of the
department, an impressive contribution to the engineering profession and
to society.
5.3.4 Vitality Insufficient (2)
The documentation produced by the department shows a strong focus
and determination to grow certain research areas, nano mechanics, for
example. Plans are in place to recruit staff, an urgent issue considering
the decreasing academic staff from 19 in 2003 to 15.5 in 2007, and to
seek funding for additional research students in this area. This initiative
is important, as the overall trend for doctoral research students has been
negative over the period 2003–2007 (even allowing for reduction in staff
numbers). There were no visiting professors (incoming or outgoing) for
visits of greater than 3 months duration; there are only 3 collaborating
institutes with joint publications. Only 2 members of staff were recruited
externally during the period under consideration. A positive indicator of
vitality is the engagement with the international research community and
Swedish scientific society, as indicated by a high number of lectures, keynote
lectures and session chairing at international conferences, research
council and editorial board membership, etc. However, the number of
individuals involved in these activities is not high and the potential for
growth of the department’s research depends on the active engagement of
all academic staff.
5.4 Collaboration [International] Poor (1); [National] Good (3)
The level of international collaboration is poor, with no research visits
(scholars or doctoral students) of greater than 3 months duration; there
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are only 3 collaborating institutes with joint publications. There may be
shorter or less formal collaborations in existence but this was not evident
from the information supplied. The lack of a formal sabbatical system
is not helpful in this regard. The strong engagement with international
conferences and editorial boards of international journals provide
opportunities to develop useful international research collaborations.
There is evidence of internal collaboration with other departments within
Lund University (Biochemistry, Solid State Physics, Industrial Electronics);
these should be strengthened as a means of building critical mass in
specific research areas.
5.5 Research Activity and Teaching Excellent (5)
The department is to be commended for its very high output of research
based educational material, such as textbooks (19 from 5 staff in a 4 year
period) and course literature for advanced courses at both undergraduate
and graduate level. Although the amount of information available on the
teaching activity is limited, research work appears to contribute strongly to
advanced courses at undergraduate level, as well as to doctoral research programmes.
The contribution to teaching in the Nano-program is welcome.
5.6 Evaluation of Future Plans Poor (1)
There is a need for a mission statement and for a clearly articulated
strategic research plan or vision for the Department of Mechanical
Engineering. Although one specific area is highlighted for growth
potential (nano mechanics) and the work in thermo-mechanical fatigue is
to remain a strong focus, there is a need for an overall vision and clear targets
for future research funding, doctoral students and research outputs.
Identification of strategic research areas should be linked to future staff
recruitment plans, and should take cognizance of the research strengths
of other research groups within the Faculty.
5.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Good (2)
In the Materials/Mechanics area the research in fatigue is of high quality
and should continue. Likewise, the recent research in nano mechanics
is promising and should be supported in the manner proposed by the
department. This research group might also consider the possibility
of initiating research activity in other material science areas, such as
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iomechanics/biomaterials, where attractive possibilities exist for considerable
research funding and for collaboration with the Division of Solid
Me c h a n ic s .
In the DPME/ME group, the research activity in metal cutting and
forming is good and should be continued. The evidence in support of
the other research areas identified is less clear. In Machine Elements,
the retirement of the professor in 2006 together with the lack of recent
publications makes it difficult to predict continued success in this area.
The research activities in manufacturing systems are clearly valuable in a
national context (industrial projects, Swedish Production Academy) but
this area has yet to make an international impact.
Overall, there are a lot of research areas to be supported by a relatively
small department. The department might consider consolidating its
research activities into a smaller number of strategic research areas, in
order to maximize its research impact. Alternatively, a significant increase
in collaboration, both national and international, might provide a way to
enhance the research quality and impact.
5.8 Gender and Equal Opportunity Issues
Out of 11 academic staff, 4 are female; this is quite a good gender balance
for a Mechanical Engineering department. With regard to research
students the situation is, poor at best, with no female doctoral research
students currently on the register and 21% of doctoral exams completed
over the 2003–2007 period being female. These figures look typical of
trends in many countries. There is insufficient information to address
this matter further but the department is encouraged to continue striving
towards good gender balance, of both staff and research students.
5.9 Viability
The main research achievements of the department are the publication
output in fatigue and metal cutting and the growing research activity in
nano mechanics. The strong level of engagement in international conferences,
albeit by a limited number of research leaders, is also a positive
indicator. The relevance of the research, as indicated by the level and
extent of the interaction with local industry and the Swedish research
community, is strength.
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The fragmentation and less than critical mass of the department, falling
number of doctoral research students, together with uncertain research
income, is a major weakness. It is clear from the documentation that
the department is concerned about these issues but it is not clear what
steps are being taken to address them. The viability of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering is dependent on finding a means to turn around
the current negative trends, especially in graduate student numbers and
research funding. The solution to these problems may require action at
administrative level.
The research grouping DPME/ME should consider the possibility of
focusing or consolidating their research activity into a few strategic areas,
rather than pursuing the large number of subjects listed in the self-evaluation
document, taking into consideration the opportunities for attracting
and supporting doctoral research students in these areas. The ability
of the current research groupings in machine elements or manufacturing
systems to make an impact on the international scale is not clear.
Overall, the identification of strategic research areas should perhaps
be considered on a broader basis than departmental, i.e. a faculty wide
research plan might be of value. This is particularly relevant given the
way in which the current departmental structure has evolved over the
past several years. It is possible that a broader consideration of research
priorities might identify opportunities for fruitful collaboration between
smaller research groups and the creation of critical mass in key areas, such
as material science.
6. Division of Solid Mechanics
6.1 Overall Assessment Very good (4)
In 2007 the Division of Solid Mechanics contained 12 academic staff
including four postgraduate students and one visiting professor. It is
a research active division which occupies a centrally critical position
in relation to teaching and interaction with a wide number of departments.
It is responsible for courses in elasticity viscoelasticity, fracture
mechanics, plasticity, kinematics and dynamics, numerical methods
of solution, non-linear equations, and as such plays a pivotal role in the
development and training of many different types of engineer. Remarkably,
in 2007, (with two understandable exceptions) every member of
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the division published a peer reviewed paper in an international journal
with a good impact factor. The division has active collaborations locally,
nationally and internationally. Its members are very active participants
at international conferences, whether as invited speakers or chairs of sessions.
Typically, one Ph.D., one Licentiate and four Masters candidates
graduate annually.
There are two surprising things: the relatively small number of Ph. D.
candidates graduating each year; the fact that no member of staff is on
the board of editors of a journal.
6.2 Research Infrastructure Good (3)
Two members of staff have co-authored a large text book on the “Mechanics
of Constitutive Modelling”. This excellent book covers a very broad
range of topics: elasticity, strain, stress, tensors, viscoelasticity, plasticity,
creep.This means that there is an extensive very valuable body of expertise
and knowledge in a wide variety of topics. Such expertise is clearly
available to everyone in the division. This opens the doors to new areas of
research, particularly at the boundaries between subject areas (e.g. visco
-plasticity, thermo-plasticity, biomechanics) and also to interactions and
valuable collaborations outside the division. The first half of the textbook
is used for the presentation of basic course material. Then topics are
taken from the second half of the text book to stimulate the research of
graduate students. Clearly the system works very well.
There is a well equipped laboratory available. However, in 2007 there
seems to be only one experimental publication – in nanotechnology -
and the work was done in a special laboratory.
6.3 Research Quality Very good (4)
The division performs an integral and critical service to the entire College
of Engineering (LTH) in teaching core courses in solid mechanics.
In spite of this load on its acadamic staff, it is noteworthy that almost all
of them seem to be actively involved in research which is quite unique
within the College of Engineering. The R&D revenue for the division in
2007, per academic staff member, decreased by almost 50% from 2003
levels. To achieve excellence the division needs to considerably add to its
PhD pool, and continue it’s high level of R&D activity.
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6.3.1 Quality Very Good (4)
Almost everyone in the division who should be active in research is
indeed active. The division performs well internationally. Publications are
all in good journals. The expertise in constitutive modelling means that
staff members can easily adapt to new areas. Their expertise is recognised
in the many invitations to lecture at international conferences (13 in
2003–2007), and the many invitations to organise and chair sessions at
international conferences ( 23 in 2003–2007). Further quality recognition
is evidenced by the election of two members to an academy during
2003–2007.
6.3.2 Productivity Very good (4)
All active members of the Solid Mechanics Division publish at least one
peer-reviewed paper in a good journal each year. The ratio of refereed
journal publications per staff member has increased from 0.5 in 2003 to
1.22 in 2007. Additionally members of this division presented papers at
14 international conferences in 2007.
Impact of publications – best five
• Citation Very good (4)
There is a total of 36 citations for the “five most significant” papers
in refereed journals. It is clear that they are all substantial contributions
– 4 in plasticity theory and 1 in experimental nanotechnology.
The journals in which they appear have impact factors 4.113 (three
papers), 3.04 and 2.11. As for the remaining six papers, there is a total
of 7 citations. Their recent appearance in 2007 and 2008 may account
for this low number. The impact factors for the journals in which they
appeared are 4.012, 2.015, 1.5219, 1.510,1.50 and 1.020.
• Type of Journal (Impact factor) Very good (4)
In 2007 there were eleven peer reviewed papers- with impact factors
4.113 ( two papers) {The fourth highest ranked journal in Mechanics
has an impact factor of 4.113}, circa 2(two papers), circa 1.5 (five
papers) and circa 0.7( two papers.) The journals in which the best five
papers appeared are all highly regarded with high impact factors.
• Hirsch Index Excellent (4)
The two most senior members of the division have the Hirsch indices
of 9 and 10 (Using Web of Science). These are excellent indices in
Mechanics. Other members are much weaker.
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
• Ph.D.Researcher Ratio Poor (1)
The division is not producing enough Ph.D.’s. On average there is
just one Ph.D completion each year. There seems to be some kind of a
unexplainable disconnect with this poor ratio since the division seems
to be well suited for research and already has a very good publication
record.
6.3.3 Relevance Good (3)
There seem to be no spin off companies, and only 3 new contracts with
companies in the period 2003-2007. Understandably most of the research
is basic science, but the diversity of expertise and knowledge in the
division, and the industrial need for modelling, mandates enhanced industrial
activity. Three text books were published in period 2003–2007.
In particular the textbook “Mechanics of Constitutive Modelling” is
excellent. One staff member assisted with a Government inquiry.
6.3.4 Vitality Very good (4)
This is a very active division with good networking both locally and
internationally. There will always be demand for its expertise in constitutive
modelling. The number of invitations to lecture at international
conferences, the invitations to chair sessions, the election of two members
to the Academy are all signs of vitality. It is clear that the senior people
are planning the future of the division by asking for the appointment of
high quality replacements. The present leadership have shown initiative in
research and collaboration.
6.4 Collaboration Very good (4)
During 2003–2007there were 2 visiting researchers to Lund for at least three
months, 3 researchers from Lund for at least three months, one visiting
professor for an extended period. In the area of publications during that
time, there were collaborations with eleven institutes worldwide- in USA,
Israel, Germany and India. This is excellent. It is greatly to be regretted that
the sabbatical leave system has been discontinued because such a system
has the effect of enhancing international collaboration and cooperation.
6.5 Research Activity and Teaching Very good (4)
There is a broad range of teaching activities which are informed by
research by staff members. Three text books have been published. The
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
constitutive modelling textbook is linked to doctoral teaching and research.
It is a pity that there are not more Ph.D. students to benefit. There
are four postgraduate students mentioned in the staff list so that there is a
good balance between young and old teachers.
6.6 Evaluation of Future Plans Good (3)
The division should continue doing its fundamental work in constitutive
modelling. If there are vacancies perhaps they would be filled by experts
in this area.
6.7 Future Potentials and Possibilities Very good (4)
There is a very solid foundation in basic research in place. With encouragement,
and an active pursuit by the Division to increase graduate
student enrolment, there is little reason why this should not continue and
flourish. The Division’s focus seems to be shifting towards the fundamental
understanding of materials and phenomena. They plan to strengthen
the micromechanics, coupled phenomena and smart materials with
application in the biological systems. This shift is of a positive nature and
should translate into changes in research and education, enhancing both
graduate student and industrial involvement.
6.8 Gender and Equal Opportunities Issues
There is a problem here. The percentage of women employed has dropped
from 38% in 2003 to 15% in 2007. This problem must be addressed with
account being taken of the fact that generally there are very few female
candidates for posts in this area.
6.9 Viability
The division is well known for constitutive modelling. There is a good
solid foundation in research. There is likely to be continued demand
for people with expertise in constitutive modelling. A major problem is
the decline in numbers of postgraduate students. An active campaign
to attract postgraduate students is of the highest priority. The division’s
web site highlighting current and future R&D efforts, and an internationally
organised annual conference on constitutive modelling could
help increase visibility. The papers presented at the conference could be
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Panel 15 – LTH | product development
edited locally, a first step towards an international journal, based in Lund.
Similarly, an annual short instructional conference could be directed at
Masters level postgraduate students.
The division should strengthen its presence in European projects and
networks in terms of Research and also Education.
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Panel 16 – systems science
PANEL 16 – SYSTEMS SCIENCE
CONTENTs
1. Foreword....................................................................................................452
2. Remarks regarding the material that was given to us...................................452
3. Overall assessment of Panel 16...................................................................453
4. Gender & Equal Opportunities issues..........................................................455
5. Department of Electrical and Information Technology................................ 456
6. Department of Computer Science.............................................................. 465
7. Department of Automatic Control...............................................................471
1. Foreword
The structure of the report was discussed and we came up with the following
adjustments with regard to the proposed generic format. One of
the main issues was that of the best grain for consideration: department
or group? We have decided differently for the different departments.
2. Remarks regarding
the material that was given to us
This material consisted of the Report for each panel. This report contained
text answering questions such as: achievements, SWOTs, future
plans, plus links to selected papers and other web site material. This
report had more or less adequate length, as we think. We have, however,
struggled finding the following information that we needed:
• Up to date publication lists
• Faculty for each group or each department; who did what for each
item in the report; sometimes it was hard to correlate the publication
lists that we had with the groups as they showed up in the report;
without names attached to the groups (or topics) our life was difficult.
Of course we’d have been much helped in having a bibliometric study.
We know how to trust and distrust it but it prevents us from expressing
totally wrong statements. Also, having productivity ratios (per individuum)
would have been useful.
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Panel 16 – systems science
Funding has emerged as being a central issue in the life of Lund faculty
people. We got no information regarding your grants and contracts,
however. Consequently we could not get a clear picture of the kind and
amount of fund each activity gets. We believe that much of this information
can be made available with no or little pain to the faculty people, by
properly populating a Web information system that we think the university
anyway lacks. Then, only the scientific report as it has been delivered
remains to be prepared specifically for this evaluation.
3. Overall assessment of Panel 16
3.1 Research Quality
On a global basis the quality of research in systems sciences as a whole
falls in the good to very good range. The department of Automatic
Control has been stable for a long period. In contrast, organizations and
reorganizations have been undertaken that result in the two new departments
of EIT and Computer Sciences. While these moves are approved
by the panel, it was felt that the reorganization of EIT needs to be pushed
to its end and create more synergies. Also, the Computer Science department
should probably consider better focusing.
3.2 Areas of Excellence
Traditionally, areas such as Control Science and Information Theory have
been operating at the highest international standards. Some such as Control
Science will clearly continue in spite of recent retirements, but there
are concerns that others may not be in the position to do so, depending
on key retirements.
Focused and homogeneous groups, with critical mass, were found to
be in a position of secure sustainable funding for their activities and
therefore have the ability to move into innovative and high risk areas.
Unfortunately, this desirable situation is limited to only a few groups in
the college.
Potential Development Areas
In spite of limited faculty the Computer Graphics group has achieved
international prominence and could excel with further planned expansion
of the group with a defined focus.
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Panel 16 – systems science
The EIT department has had recent reorganization. As a result interesting
and potentially outstanding resources were gathered. But the overall
vision is still lacking that could provide the additional synergy to put this
department at the highest international level.
3.3 Areas in need of Development
There is a (sub)group that appears to be in a more difficult situation,
namely the networking activity within Networking and Security group.
The areas of networking and security have been treated in the past almost
everywhere separately. However, both have a strong common background
in architecture. For that reason, security has to be embedded in network
architectures from the very beginning. It may take some time that experts
of both heritages find a common view, common visions and a common
research strategy. As ”Quality of Experience” embraces aspects as performance,
reliability, availability, resilience, security and privacy, it is a very
wise decision to have these research areas combined.
3.4 Strategies and Processes to Promote Achievement of Goals
Based on factors that are specific to LTH only, the working of the
Automatic Control Group/Department could be used as a standard to
improve the research and graduate study programs in most of the other
departments. 16
In spite of social trends, we feel that the low female to male student ratio
in engineering is positively addressed and we recommend increasing these
efforts considerably.
With the exception of Automatic Control department, Systems Sciences
is not doing a good job in attracting international PhD students because
of inadequate PR and advertising.
16. On organization: It is noted that the Automatic Control Department is much smaller
than the other departments and is of outstanding quality. There are historic reasons for
this, regarding its initial establishment, its continuing international reputation, and its
academic goals of both theoretical advances and applications across a wide range of
domains. It would be inappropriate to draw any general organizational conclusions except
to say that the structure needs to be sufficiently flexible to allow such anomalies rather
than conclude either that this model be more widely adopted or that this department
should become a group within a larger department
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Panel 16 – systems science
We feel that the current funding structure within the University and
the country is hindering not only graduate research but also long range
innovative strategic planning.
Teaching requirements seem to be totally arbitrary and vary from group
to group and Department to Department. Although it is evident that to
a major extent these are controlled by budget constraints, some level of
equity would help the staff feel invested and could promote their research
output and external funding.
4. Gender & Equal Opportunities issues
The fraction of female students studying engineering is traditionally
small, hence it is expected that the fraction of female faculty staff is also
small. In the three departments considered by this panel 5 out of a total
of 87 academic staff are female (6%). From these 5 there are 3 Senior
Lecturers, 2 Researchers and no Professors. About 16% of the registered
doctoral students are female. Hence, it is clear that women are more
under represented the higher the academic position. Perhaps this is partly
explained on historical grounds. It is to be expected that some of the
female Senior Lecturers might promote to the Professor level in the not
too distant future.
It seems that the Swedish society and the University are offering a wide
range of support for female employees. From the university side the one
year course in leadership for female academic and the higher reward for
female PhDs are very much appreciated. Also the efforts by the Faculty of
Engineering to attract more female students are considered very positive.
It is recommended that the University (e.g. by the Department of Gender
Studies) performs a detailed and University wide study to bring the severity
of the steady decrease of females with increasing professional level in
chart and to investigate the causes and remedies of this phenomenon by
conducting a general survey. It is further recommended that the Faculty
increases its efforts to attract more female students.
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Panel 16 – systems science
5. Electrical and Information Technology
5.1 Opening remarks regarding the grain for the evaluation
This department is the result of a sophisticated split-and-merge. Essentially,
it aimed at putting aside activities related to software – these moved
to the computer science department – and gathering all other activities
related to telecommunications. This occurred recently and consolidation
has not been achieved yet. Therefore, the panel has decided to assess this
department on a per group basis.
5.2 Research infrastructure and organization
The IET Department is the result of a significant reorganization to
rationalize a number of related activities for both academic and financial
reasons. It is probably too early to assess the ultimate success of this
exercise but the rationale and implementation have been well thought
through and give a coherent structure.
It is not clear from the supplied data as to which entities the 2003 baseline
refers, however the number of academic staff has been maintained in 2007
but the number of ‘other personnel’ has been reduced from 41 in 2003 to
21 in 2007. Much of the research in IET requires extensive experimental
equipment and specialized laboratories and this is generally available in
the Department to a high level. The above reduction in support staff
might jeopardize the maintenance and enhancement of these facilities
and continuing streams of research funding will be necessary in the future
(it is noted that this is not identified as a ‘threat’ by the Department,
although the more generic issue is mentioned in the Faculty submission).
5.3 Research activity and teaching
According to the department website in the academic year 2007–2008,
82 undergraduate courses of which 9 project courses were organized
by the EIT department. With 39 FTEs of staff this seems a course load
which is comparable to international standards. However, the teaching
load seems to vary largely among the various research groups of the
department. We like to stress our appreciation for the project based
courses which are showing an intense interaction with the research work.
It would be a good idea to investigate how research-based education
could be further expanded. Also the involvement of PhD students in the
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Panel 16 – systems science
teaching of these courses is considered as a positive point contributing to
the development of important competences. Of the courses in the academic
year 2007–2008, 21 were suitable for foreign students. We strongly
support the international character of the undergraduate program and,
although detailed figures were lacking, we believe that the department
is having some success with it as a fair amount of international PhD
students could be identified. There also seems to be an extensive program
of PhD courses, organized per research group.
5.4 Group Broadband communications
5.4.1 Research quality
Grade: Good
This is a rather small research group dealing with a number of topical
research projects on access networks, vehicular technology, server systems
and multicarrier modulation. The group played an important role in the
development of VDSL in collaboration with Ericsson and Telia. New
research on web-server systems with HP and IBM has been started.
The work of the group has been published in a fair amount of international
journals and in many proceedings of international conferences
without being exceptional. P.O. Börjesson co-authored several highly
cited publications in IEEE journals.
5.4.2 Collaboration
Grade: Good
The group has a good visibility and collaborates with important industrial
players. The group is also active in important national and European
research projects. It has also collaboration with industries and universities
in the USA. The starting collaboration with the Automatic Control
department within LTH is especially noteworthy.
5.4.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Very good
Together with Ericsson and British Telecom this research area is on top
of the development of the 4th Generation broadband systems which will
play an important role in the telecommunication needs from 2020. The
new idea to collaborate with the Department of Automatic Control to
explore the area of model predictive control of communication systems
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Panel 16 – systems science
is highly appreciated and has great potential. The focus on activities in
vehicular networks is very important and could lead to important future
research developments.
The group is small and in that sense could benefit from merging with
another group in order to obtain a larger critical mass. There might be a
potential in closer collaboration with the communication research group
within EIT.
5.5 Group Circuits & systems
5.5.1 Research quality
Grade: Good
Judging from the web pages, the circuit & Systems group consists of
1 Professor, 3 Visiting Professors, 4 Associate professors, 2 Assistant
Lecturers, 1 post-doc and 3 PhD students. The number of PhD students
seems low compared to the teaching staff.
The group is active on the following research topics: digital baseband
architectures for wireless communications, digital image processing
architectures, low power architectures, reconfigurable computing, digital
holographic imaging, asynchronous custom DSP, RF and mixed signal,
and digital information systems and knowledge architectures. This seems
a large number of different topics for the current staff. It could therefore
be a good idea to better focus the activities of the group and also seek
closer collaboration with other groups and departments. Although the
research topics are relevant, they rather target incremental innovations
instead of breakthroughs. Digital holography might be an exception. The
group regularly publishes its research results (40 papers in 2007) but the
citations for these papers are rather limited. No patents of the group were
found. However the research already resulted in one spin-off company
(Phase Holographic Imaging).
In summary, the circuits & systems group is a good quality research
group, mainly of national significance, and with strong ties to industry.
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Panel 16 – systems science
5.5.2 Collaboration
Grade: Very good
A strong point of the group is the close collaboration with industry. The
last ten years this was organized via the VINNOVA Competence Centre
for Circuit Design. Also the visiting professors are instrumental in the
close collaboration with industry. With the start of the new VINNOVA
Industrial Excellence Center for System Design on Silicon the continued
interaction with industry is guaranteed.
The group has also an extensive collaboration with other groups and
departments, for example with the physics department on the topic of
nanomaterials for low-power circuits, with the communication group on
the topic of circuits for communications and with the biomedical signal
processing group on low power signal processing in implantable devices.
The group is member of the HERMES partnership, a network of leading
European independent telecom research centers in Europe. The group is
also effective in attracting national and European funded projects.
5.5.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Good
The plans for the future are only vaguely described. They center around
three topics: CMOS circuits with low static power consumption, efficient
architectures for new wireless systems and nanotechnology in CMOS
implementations. All three topics are highly relevant, although the third
is more speculative, and offer good opportunities for relevant research
contributions. Several on-going activities (digital image processing
architectures, reconfigurable computing, digital holographic imaging,
asynchronous custom DSP, and digital information systems and knowledge
architectures) have no relation with these three topics. It should be
beneficial to fade these unrelated activities.
5.6 Group Communications
5.6.1 Research quality
Grade: Excellent
The communication group has 22 members, 4 professors, 1 assistant professor,
3 associate professors, 2 lecturers, 3 post-docs, and 9 PhD students.
Compared to the staff, the number of PhD students is relatively low.
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Andreas Molisch joined the group in 2002 and gave a substantial renewal
of the research on channel modeling and characterization. The work on
MIMO channel sounder is considered very important. Based on this
activity, the group is involved in all key international and European
standardization bodies in this sector. Corresponding publication record is
good; several papers are also widely referred. Overall, achievements have
been internationally recognized by the reception of the Neil Shepherd
Memorial Award and an appointment as IEEE Fellow.
An interesting research direction – although seemingly not closely connected
to the previous one – is the study of propagation in the body. This
activity is part of the Neuronano Research Center, an important transdisciplinary
research entity at the university. It is supported by a grant
from the Wallenberg foundation, something considered important and
challenging. Results of this research have not been widely published.
In addition, the group is pursuing research in digital communication,
with a specific strong position in error coding. The results are widely
published and referenced. The involved professors also received multiple
awards for their work. However, an important point of attention is the
succession of faculty who will retire in the next years.
Note: There was a special international assessment on the center for highspeed
wireless communications with detailed outcome (“very positive”)
and recommendations for long-term horizon.
5.6.2 Collaboration
Grade: Excellent
The group has been extremely active in all sorts of IEEE standardization
bodies, COST programs, in exchange programs and in EU projects. The
group also collaborates with the biomedical department (propagation
in the body) and with the circuits & systems group (implementation of
communication systems).
5.6.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Good
For the future the group wants to build further on its strengths and
continue the research on antennas and propagation, more in particular
multi-element propagation and absorption by the user. Also the efforts
on propagation in the body will be continued. These topics are certainly
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relevant, but seem rather incremental with respect to the current work. In
addition, high frequencies radio circuits are mentioned, although this seems
better suited for the circuits and systems group. Digital communication
and error coding are not mentioned. Does this imply that these activities
will be stopped? In general, the future strategy should be better specified.
5.7 Group Networking & Security
This group collects two distinct and quite separated activities: networking
and security. The panel has decided to assess them separately.
5.7.1 Research quality
Grade: Poor? [networking]
As presented in the evaluation document, research on networking seems
somehow weak, with low publication record and low funding level. However,
the panel was not sure that all research activity at EIT department
regarding networking is indeed covered under the considered paragraph –
this motivated our question mark when grading. In particular, the panel
is aware of the well known work on network planning and optimization,
but does not see it mentioned in the document.
Grade: Excellent [security]
In contrast, the research on security is of very high standard, with a focus
on stream ciphers and cryptology in general. This area at Lund University
is leading in Sweden and among the important actors worldwide. Despite
the fact that no panel member was a specialist of this area, the activity
report of it speaks for itself and clearly shows prominence.
5.7.2 Collaboration
Grade: ? [networking]
For the area on networking, the panel somehow lacks elements based on
evaluation report.
Grade: Very good [security]
Building on its strong scientific position, researchers in this area have
established collaboration at a very high European standard. Also, close
cooperation with SonyEricsson has been the tradition for this group.
However, to the panel’s opinion, the question regarding this area is not
so much its research quality (which is, as we said, impressive), but rather
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its much focused scope. In the last ten years, focus on network security
has widened, from hard core cryptographic issues, to more general ones
involving protocols and architectures. We do not see elements in the
report that demonstrates that this group of researchers has considered
this move. Opportunities for collaborations with other specialties relevant
to security should be considered, both within LTH and in neighboring
industry (e.g., SonyEricsson).
5.7.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Poor? [networking]
Networking is at the very center of research in telecommunications. It
is therefore unfortunate that future plans as stated for this activity seem
rather isolated from the rest of EIT and lacking vision. But again, maybe,
this is a false impression due to imprecision in evaluation document?
Grade: Good [security]
The panel interprets this part of the evaluation report as manifesting
potential problems in the future. On the one hand, the panel is satisfied
with the mention of future research activity in close collaboration with
SonyEricsson. As said before, the panel believes that this should be taken
as an opportunity for widening the focus and skills of this group – such a
widening is not mentioned, however. The group is mentioning its limited
size as an obstacle toward such a widening of its activity. Maybe the
question is not so much an issue of size, but rather an issue of finding,
within LTH, the missing skills to address security at a wider scope.
5.8 Group Signal processing (including biomedical)
and electro magnetic theory
5.8.1 Research quality
Grade: Very good
The signal processing and electro magnetic theory group has 25 members,
of which 12 are pursuing a PhD.
The signal processing is focused on biomedical signal analysis of atrial
arrhythmias, which has resulted in significant publication output in
top international journals and is practically used. Sweden has a long
standing tradition on electromagnetic research and the group at LTH
has added significantly to that. The focus of their research on more
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fundamental and mathematical based research has allowed them to be
at the international scientific forefront in the mathematical modeling of
physical mechanisms of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with
materials and in quantitative inverse scattering. However, this focus has
not prevented them from participating in a wide variety of projects with
Swedish industry. G. Kristensson is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
The research is published in the highest standard international journals.
5.8.2 Collaboration
Grade: Very good
The biomedical signal processing has for long excellent interdisciplinary
activities with the Medical Faculty resulting in the creation of a Center
of Integrative Electrocardiology and several joint PhDs with the Medical
Faculty. The electromagnetic theory area has been very successful in
collaborating with Swedish industry as well as participating in European
research projects, it also collaborates with other departments at LU in
particular the department of Atomic Physics. They have also excellent
informal collaborations with many other international electromagnetics
groups.
5.8.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Very good
Both the biomedical signal processing and the electromagnetic theory
envision challenging and important research possibilities for the future.
The development of individualized treatment of atrial fibrillation and the
development of new wireless communication systems are very important
future research areas. Although G. Kristensson is retiring in the not too
distant future excellent younger senior researchers have been hired at the
associate professor level to guarantee a continuation of research quality.
There is certainly potential for further collaboration of the electromagnetics
research area with other groups within the department, in particular
research on antenna systems could be of particular interest to the channel
modeling and characterization and the research on materials could connect
to the research on propagation in the body.
5.9 Summary regarding research
Grade: Good
The overall rating of research within EIT is generally good. International
competitiveness and visibility are well underlined by participation in
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international research consortia or top-level national research organizations
and high quality publication output. The impact of the research
is not easy to measure and is indirectly reflected in joint research with
industry and other institutions, in contributions to standardizations
and/or citations. The recruitment of top-level PhD students is a difficult
problem that is not uncommon to electrical engineering. There is a large
variation of research quality between groups and sub-groups. It could
be desirable to take specific actions to bring all research activities of the
department above a minimum quality threshold. Finally, the panel sees a
problem with the sub-group on networking within the “networking and
security” area.
This given grade is more negative than the grade proposed for some of the
different individual groups. This aims at reflecting the impression of the
panel that this department still needs to better focus and integrate the
work of the various research groups. The panel must acknowledge that
the documents provided for the evaluation of this department were not to
the expected level of clarity making an assessment sometimes difficult. As
the department was only recently established, this is understandable.
As perceived by the panel, both from the documents and the site visit, the
EIT department is still in a transient phase where it appears as a juxtaposition
of autonomous activities inherited from previous departments.
While this is well acceptable for such a transient period, the panel feels
that the reorganization should be taken as an opportunity for EIT to
define itself as a key leader in some specific but broad aspect of telecommunications.
Strong points to build upon include, as we see it, coding
and information theory, cryptography and ciphering for security, wireless
communications and electromagnetic field analysis. The panel does
not see enough skills available at LTH in the area of software science to
justify targeting higher layers of telecommunications architectures (P2P,
services, etc…). The presence of the Control Science Department can be
taken as a unique opportunity to move telecommunications infrastructures
toward more adaptability and autonomy. The panel is of the opinion
that there are many unexploited opportunities for collaboration among
the various research groups within the department that could help in taking
a leading role as outlined above. The cooperation among the various
groups should be a point of attention in the coming years for the recently
established department.
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6. Computer Science
6.1 Opening remarks regarding the grain for the evaluation
This department is the result of a sophisticated split-and-merge. Essentially,
it aimed at gathering activities related to software and other activities
related to computer science in general. This move was completed in 2007.
Several activities were launched, among them computer graphics and
natural language processing (not reviewed here). Today, the department
still has several mostly independent tracks. Therefore, the panel has
decided to assess this department on a per group basis.
In several areas, the department still lacks critical mass. We therefore
advise strengthening the on-going activities rather than engaging in
completely new fields of research.
6.2 Research infrastructure and organization
The Department of Computer Science is a joint department of the Faculty
of Engineering and the Faculty of Science and in 2007 when the IET
Department was formed the research group on Software Engineering
joined CS and this move is reported to have been smooth and mutually
beneficial. It is noted that the Faculty of Science recently decided to close
down its Computer Science activity over the next three years, principally
as a result of the decline in student numbers for this option in that faculty.
The full implications of this decision are not described in the documentation
with respect to any consequential changes in the research coverage.
The research activity in this Department is now mostly software based
with only modest laboratory requirements such as the robotics laboratory
shared with Mechanical Engineering and Automatic Control. As a
result the Department’s research is not limited by the lack of appropriate
infrastructure.
6.3 Research activity and teaching
The research impact on teaching is rather visible in the evaluation report.
In fact, the research areas of the different groups are well represented
at the level of teaching. While this has the advantage of clearly linking
teaching to research, it also has the drawback that teaching on computer
science at EIT has no “unique color” that would make it the place to learn
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a specific area of computer science in Sweden, or possibly Europe. In fact,
this problem mirrors the problem with the lack of focus on research for
the department.
6.4 Group Software development environments
6.4.1 Research quality
Grade: Very good
This group follows from the original activities of Lund University in
computer engineering. The focus of this group in the period of evaluation
has been on developing a memory management system (garbage collector)
for Real-Time Java. The originality of the approach lies in the
scheduling of the corresponding tasks in such a way that the real-time
tasks of the underlying application remain handled according to their
specified priorities – it is not wanted that garbage collection preempts a
task of high priority. This work has resulted in a small publication record;
however, in competitive conferences (OOPSLA). In addition, we consider
that the effective impact cannot be measured by just publications: the
JastAdd tool is an important achievement. Applications targeted industrial
robotics with interactions with ABB.
This group also seems to follow an independent track related to natural
language text and its interpretation, with an interesting application to
reports on car accidents. We have no opinion regarding this track.
6.4.2 Collaboration
Grade: Good
Main point for notice include a cooperation with SUN and a close
cooperation with robotics activities, both regarding the work on Java.
6.4.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Insufficient
We have found no clear plans so far related to this group beyond industrial
robotics. The report states: Our research agenda is set by identifying
problems that are, or are expected to be, relevant for industry. Total lack
of proactive future plans is a problem. Does this indicate that this group
plans to stop its activities? However, under the Possibilities heading, it is
mentioned that this group would like to pursue Pervasive Computing,
e.g. related to Lund Hospital. This group was participating in the Pal-
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Com project, and with the success of this it is most likely that there will
be follow-up activites and projects. Why is this not mentioned?
6.5 Group Empirical Software Engineering
6.5.1 Research quality
Grade: Very good
This group develops studies on the niche topic of empirical software
engineering where it is recognized as an international expert. This is substantiated
by a good publication record. The work includes developments
of methodologies as well as of metrics for software quality and statistical
measurement studies regarding faults in software.
In the Form 2 it is not said if this group also teaches methodologies or
just studies them. From the homepage of the group it appears that they
do, and that they do it the right way, that is the courses are not just
on how it could and should be done (based on empirical studies), but
students are in fact using a methodology and develops an application.
However, the bachelor level course on the development of large systems
appears to be based upon outdated technology (SDL-88). It is fine to use
SDL instead of UML for this kind of course, but newer versions exist.
6.5.2 Collaboration
Grade: Very good
This group has put a great deal of effort in gaining international visibility
in its area. Also, a major forum for cooperation is the recently established
LUCAS/EASE Vinnova center for software where Ericsson has a major
role. From the composition of the board and the management group, LU-
CAS is promising and therefore it seems a good vehicle for cooperation.
It would obviously make sense to cooperate with the group on Software
development environments.
6.5.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Poor
The future plans indicate that the Vinnova center EASE will play a central
role in the strategy of this group. Pervasive computing is indicated as
a candidate future direction. This does not seem aligned with the research
topics of this group so we do not really understand. A good thing with
EASE is that it involves more partners than Ericsson, but it appears to be
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less mature than LUCAS Pervasive computing is indicated as a candidate
future direction. This does not seem aligned with the research topics of
this group so we do not really understand. This seems strange. As far as
we know, participants from the PalCom project were from the Group
Software Development Environments group, not this one.
6.6 Group Computer graphics
6.6.1 Research quality
Grade: Excellent
Computer graphics is a recent area for this department. It got established
in 2003/2004 through the hiring of a young faculty (professor).
Currently there are 4 PhD students. The group specializes on original
techniques for efficient rendering, especially for mobile devices. The paper
on culling that has been provided to the panel has been highly appreciated.
Optimizations are proposed for rendering that rely on analyses
of the code that resemble the type of analysis performed in other areas
such as static analysis or abstract interpretation. The latter techniques
were developed in a totally different context of object code validation or
worst case execution time evaluation. We have been highly impressed by
the depth of the analysis performed. A start-up company is being set-up
around this technology.
In addition, effectiveness of the results obtained is clearly demonstrated.
Impressive success has been achieved at the most competitive conference
SIGGRAPH. Several patents have also been filled. This group demonstrates
a mix of skills: computer graphics algorithms, low level architectures,
code analysis.
6.6.2 Collaboration
Grade: Good
From the provided material only limited evidence can be found for collaboration
with the local industry. However, establishment of a spin-off is
reported. Also collaboration with other departments seems limited. For
instance collaboration with the circuits and systems group on low level
architectures could be beneficial. Therefore we believe that to become
more successful the computer graphics group should collaborate more
with other research groups in graphics worldwide, as well as local and
international industry.
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6.6.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Very good
Future plans are not detailed at the level they should. However, the few
sentences that we have give a pretty clear idea about what is going to
happen, namely a clear focus on multi-core graphics architectures. These
architectures will clearly be central to graphics and computer graphics will
be a major target for such architectures. The panel sees this as an excellent
opportunity for the future. However, to remain at the forefront of the
technology it is mandatory that the group should further grow.
6.7 Group Embedded Systems Design
6.7.1 Research quality
Grade: Good
This group consists of 7 members, of which 4 are PhD students, and develops
research in the area of embedded systems, particular on hardware-software
co-design and reconfigurable systems. Emphasis has been on developing
algorithms to deal with scheduling and resource allocation under constraints.
To this end specific constraint solving methods have been developed together
with the tool implementing them. Front-ends to System-C have also been
developed. The group has a good publication record, although results are
rarely published in journal papers and the work is not frequently cited. This is
good research but cannot be considers as leading in the field.
6.7.2 Collaboration
Grade: Poor
The work somehow lacks synergy with other parts of the department or
other departments in engineering. A possible cooperation with the circuits
and systems group could be beneficial. The provided material shows very
little evidence of cooperation with industry. However, the new VINNOVA
Industrial Excellence Centre for Embedded Applications Software Engineering,
supported by VINNOVA, offers the opportunity for increased
interactions with industry.
6.7.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Poor
Future plans are not original and are vaguely formulated. Moving to
programmable and reconfigurable hardware is not per se a challenging
objective.
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6.8 Group on Algorithms
6.8.1 Research quality
Grade: Good
The group consists of 16 members, of which 7 are PhD students. The
group develops research on algorithms in various areas including graphs,
trees, and other data structures. The group moved away from the faculty
of sciences. It has published regularly papers in demanding conferences
and journals. Bibliometrical search, however, reveals that the resulting
papers do not seem to be widely cited. The panel by itself, however, must
acknowledge that its member do not feel qualified for assessing this work
in a non superficial way. The group acknowledges lack of funding.
6.8.2 Collaboration
Grade: Poor
In the provided material no evidence was found that the group collaborates
with other departments or with industry.
6.8.3 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: Insufficient
There are no future plans listed for this activity. This may indicate either
that the group is going to continue working as it did, or that it may stop
existing. We hope the first alternative is the right one but we suggest the
group reconsiders how it intends to become more effective in its actual
environment.
6.9 Summary regarding research
Grade: Good
This grade is more negative than the grade proposed for the different
individual groups. This aims at reflecting the impression of the panel that
this department may not get the best from its resources and the resources
offered by its environment.
Computer science and engineering was in operation for a long time at
Lund. It has been the subject of a deep renewal (with the merger of a
group from the faculty of Sciences) and rejuvenation through the arrival
of his current department head. It appears (from form 1.3 in the material
that we have got) that the part of CS from Faculty of Science has just 1
professor but 11 articles in journals, while the part of CS from LTH has
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5 professors but only 14 articles of the same category. Also, the figures
show that there has not been a growth in publications and in PhDs from
2003 to 2007, even though the number of professors has doubled. One
of the explanations could be that the staff has many teaching obligations,
and in that respect they are not alone – this is a well-known problem for
Computer Science departments.
Department head has shown considerable dynamicity and energy. He was
able to attract external young faculty of very high caliber, e.g., in computer
graphics. The department is now composed of a number of mostly
independent tracks and the department head has expressed this situation
as reflecting his actual policy. Future plans for the department mainly
consists in considering which additional tracks could be added, funds
permitting. For example the Future Directions section lists Usability and
Security. These are hardly related to the other parts of the department
and would require building up complete new groups.
It is the feeling of the panel that this is the wrong way to go. We must admit
that some of the tracks will remain mostly independent. For example
computer graphics is an important but narrow area that will remain so.
However, we observe at the same time that a group exists on embedded
systems design that will also be faced with multi-core architectures. We
hardly understand future plans for the very nice activity around RT-Java:
do you want to focus on increasing its impact? Alternatively, do you
want to open it? (For example you could consider making its scheduling
aspect a room for deeper and more formal investigation, jointly with the
automatic control department.) Finally, the track on software development
methods may benefit from getting embedded into the larger area,
say, of embedded systems design where methods from your side could
be combined with the skills of the control department regarding model
based design (this is just an example of what you could do, not a suggestion
by itself). But in any case, thinking about all those things should be
undertaken. Definitely so.
7. Automatic control
7.1 Opening remarks regarding the grain for the evaluation
As the department head Anders Rantzer himself suggested, we have
decided to evaluate this department as a whole. While several topics and
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objectives are pursued, no consistent group emerges and people move
across topics and subgroups in an opportunistic way and we see this
community as rather homogeneous. Furthermore, the automatic control
department is a relatively small department in the faculty of Engineering.
Nevertheless, automatic control is a field that requires both fundamental
and application oriented research and the interaction between the two
types of research is of utmost importance for further developments. If
automatic control is located within a department with a specific application
domain, it negatively impacts the broad applicability and fundamental
developments, due to the limited scope of one particular application
domain. This justifies the departmental status of the automatic control
research; the visibility is much stronger, and interactions with a wide
variety of application domains are made easier.
7.2 Research infrastructure and organization
The organization of this Department is covered in 8.1. The leading edge
theoretical research only requires computing resources and most of the
experimental facilities for the applied work are located in the laboratories
of the domain specific collaborators (e.g. in combustion or bioengineering).
An exception is the robotics laboratory which is more easily
managed from within this department.
7.3 Research activity and teaching
By building on its very strong position in research, this department has
been able to establish a solid and excellent vision for teaching. Evolution
of teaching on control is not simply synchronized with the individual
research interests of the faculty members, but rather follows from the
understanding of evolution of the discipline in a broader sense. The panel
sees this as the best way to couple teaching with research.
7.4 Research quality
Grade: Outstanding
The overall picture is well described by the matrix that is provided by the
document written by the department, namely:
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• Horizontal axis:
– Analysis and control of complex systems, the fundamentals
– Computer aided modeling and optimization
– Real-time systems
• Vertical axis:
– Process control
– Robotics
– Automotive
– Medicine
– Telecoms
In the following we briefly review the horizontal axes.
The fundamental results developed at the border of optimization and
control put this department in the top rank worldwide within the control
community as identified by the Control and Decision conference (IEEE-
CDC). The panel considers that the results regarding density functions
and stability of nonlinear feedback systems opens new avenues in nonlinear
control. This is really seen as kind of a revolution in the area and
Lund, together with Caltech and MIT are the three actors in the forefront
in this area. Not surprisingly, this is substantiated by an outstanding
impact of the related publications. In addition, the panel considers
that this body of research puts bridges toward other disciplines such as
optimization as well as several topics in computer engineering such as
scheduling and static analysis of programs. All this is rather impressive.
Computer aided modeling and optimization was in the past a major
focus of this department with the work that lead to Modelica. This
has had a major industrial impact on model based design of embedded
systems in the sector of automobile and aeronautics and transportation in
general. Modelica is the most important step forward since Simulink was
introduced. Several startups were born from this activity, with Modelon
AB born in the recent years as a service company. From the perspective
of the user community it is a bit of a pity that this activity is no longer a
central Departmental theme. We were, however, satisfied to read that this
activity has been revitalized by extending it toward optimization techniques,
a current area of excellence of this department.
The axis on real-time systems has been developed in the last ten years.
Revisiting control design and analysis in close relation with the consideration
of computing infrastructure is undoubtedly a central issue now and
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in the future. This department is one of the few who tackled this issue,
worldwide. Development of TrueTime is an interesting contribution. This
part of the research made by the department is, however, not yet of the
quality of the other areas.
The vertical axes represent the specific application areas in the department.
Cross fertilization between fundamentals and applications is of
high importance in the department.
7.5 Collaboration
The vertical axes mentioned above represent the application areas of the
department. Some of the staff members have a background in one of the
application areas, and there is a direct link with the company Ericsson
via Bo Bernhardsson. Furthermore, a number of former Ph.D. students
of the department work at other departments within and outside Lund
University. There is a strong relation of the department with industry.
However, the self evaluation does not further specify the collaboration
with other departments in Lund (except brief mention of the work with
combustion) and in Sweden nor the industrial collaboration. Finally,
both industrial and academic collaboration with an EU Project is mentioned,
as well as international academic collaboration within three EU
Networks of Excellence. Finally, an exchange of Ph.D. students with
Caltech is formalized and frequently used.
The panel is pleased to see the large amount of cross disciplinary work
as well as the disciplinary international collaborations. It appears that
collaborations with other departments in Lund could be strengthened, in
particular in the specific application domains mentioned on the vertical
axes.
7.6 Evaluation of future plans, potentials, and possibilities
Grade: A mix ranging from good to outstanding; overall excellent
We have been able to discuss future plans while interviewing the department
head and a young researcher. The following comments reflect both
our reading and these interviews.
The first topic considered as part of future plans is distributed control
using pricing mechanisms. This part of the plan is an extrapolation of the
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current activities in convex optimization for control. This department is
in the position to become one of the world leaders on this topic. Note that
aspects of composition are important, thus autonomy and decentralized
techniques are preferred. Overall, we consider that the chances that this
research direction becomes outstanding are very high.
A second important research direction is the combination of networked
embedded systems and modeling support for design and verification. This
is an extrapolation of the current direction of research on real-time. As
part of the whole research program, event based control (as opposed to
the classical paradigm of time-based control also referred to as sampled
control) seems the most promising and best opportunity. In our opinion,
studies on event based control should consider 1/ the control algorithm
and its robustness, in the context of 2/ the given supporting distributed
computing infrastructure with its networking aspects. Thus it is
important that the group gets close connections to other groups inside
or outside Lund leading the research regarding abstract models of such
architectures. The close combination of control and architecture models
makes this department in the position to become one of the important
actors worldwide. We are less convinced by other aspects of the program.
They do not seem unique to Lund but are rather well studied in many
places and we do not see why Lund would have a better chance in the
competition. We see this track having high chances to become a very
good one and some chance to become excellent.
In addition, the department considers investing in applications in an opportunistic
way. This is fine but we think it is preferable to try to become
somehow specialized in a smaller number of well selected application
areas. This is considered good.
The panel strongly supports the overall research direction of “model
based control system development based on high-level descriptions”. However,
the panel was surprised that no mention was found of Modelica in
future plans. Some panel members found this embarrassing, considering
the strongly increasing momentum of Modelica in industry; other panel
members were comfortable with the idea that this topic has been hand
over to other actors, be them academic or industrial.
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Panel 17 – LTH | Building
PANEL 17 – LTH | BUILDING
CONTENTs
1. Introduction.............................................................................................476
2. Department of Architecture and Built Environment...................................479
3. Department of Building and Environmental Technology........................... 482
4. Department of Technology and Society.................................................... 485
5. Department of Design Sciences (part of).................................................. 488
6. Department of Construction Sciences (part of)..........................................492
7. Department of Electrical Measurements (part of)..................................... 496
8. International Institute for
Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE)................................................ 498
9. Summary................................................................................................. 502
10. Recommendations................................................................................... 503
1. INTRODUCTION
We did the evaluation according to the Terms of Reference and used the
Evaluation Material provided by various departments as our main source
of information. Therefore, the evaluations are based on a relatively limited
amount of information, which also varied among the departments. We
received additional information during the site visit; however, there were
again large variations among the departments in this respect. In addition,
because no bibliometric analyses were available, we evaluated quality
mainly based on international visibility and on the number of articles in
peer-reviewed international journals.
The average age of professors is quite high in all the departments, 56-58
years, with the exception of the IIIEE where it is 53 years. Thus, there are
several professors close to their retirement (this is also true in the IIIEE)
and the future plans of the departments should include a strategy for their
replacement. This is a sensitive issue and, therefore, it is understandable
that it was not included in the written plans given to us. The discussions
revealed that many departments are well prepared for the change but this
could not be confirmed for all the departments.
The most important background information we obtained for the year
2007 is summarized in the following table (as far as Design Sciences,
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Construction Sciences, and Electrical Measurements are concerned,
only data of those divisions and groups given to the panel 17 are included).
The last two columns of the table, which also include the average
numbers in 2003–2007 in parentheses, indicate that the production
of doctorates and papers in international journals has remained quite
stable during the evaluation period with the following exceptions: the
production of PhDs was clearly lower in 2007 than during the whole
period (2003–2007) in two departments (Technology and Society and
Construction Sciences). There has been a positive trend in the publication
activity in two departments, Architecture and Built Environment and
Design Sciences.
Department
Professors Academic
Staff
Employed
PhD
Students
Total PhDs
Number Produced
of PhD
Students
Total
Peer-rev.
Papers
Architect. 8 28 17 42 2 (2.8) 22 (15.4)
Bldg&Env. 11 39 18 54 6 (6.1) 49 (43.2)
Tech&Soc 6 18 16 28 2 (4.0) 14 (14.2)
Des.Sci. 6 21 10 30 3 (3.0) 43 (30.6)**
Constr.Sci. 7 14 2 32 0 (3.1) 19 (16.2)**
Electr.Meas. 1 5 1 7 1 (1.0) *
IIIEE 2 7 8 22 1 (1.4) 16 (18.0)
* No exact information was available
** For the whole department
The human resources available in various departments also need to be
considered in the evaluation. The sizes of the departments vary a lot. The
outputs (publications and PhDs in 2007) calculated per the number of
academic staff and professors (for PhDs/professor the average numbers
in 2003–2007 are given in parentheses) are listed in the next table. The
ratios of doctoral students to the academic staff are also included in the
table.
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Department
Peer-rev. Papers/
Academic Staff
PhDs Produced/
Professor
Employed
PhD Students/
Academic Staff
Total PhD
Students/
Academic
Staff
Architect. 0.8 0.3 (0.3) 0.6 1.5
Bldg&Env. 1.3 0.5 (0.5) 0.5 1.4
Tech.&Soc. 0.8 0.3 (0.7) 0.9 1.6
Des.Sci. 1.5 ** 0.5 (0.5) 0.5 1.4
Constr.Sci. 0.8 ** 0 (0.4) 0.2 2.3
Electr.Meas. * 1.0 (1.0) 0.2 1.4
IIIEE 2.3 0.5 (0.7) 1.1 3.1
* No exact information was available
** For the whole department
The table indicates that, after taking the human resources into consideration,
the publication activity has been high in the IIIEE and Design
Science but somewhat smaller in Architecture and Built Environment,
Technology and Society, and Construction Science. No doctorates were
produced in Construction Science in 2007 but the situation has been
better in the other years of the evaluation period. However, this is an
alarming signal because the department also suffers from the lack of PhD
students. IIIEE has been active in doctoral student recruitment. The total
numbers of doctoral students/academic staff are rather low for all the
other departments except IIIEE. This allows good supervision of doctoral
studies but, on the other hand, this will limit the research output.
LU has a new strategic plan emphasizing the development of multidisciplinary
environments and cross-border collaboration. Also, the Faculty of
Engineering has recently written its own strategic plan which is consistent
with the plan of the university but it does not describe its contribution to
the ”meta-areas”. On the other hand, the faculty level strategy only rarely
appears clearly in the future plans of the individual departments.
The recruitment problems faced in the Faculty of Engineering were
admitted in the background material. This might be one reason why
recruitment of female students and staff has been seen as important, with
the long-term goal of achieving gender equality, which, of course, is a
worthy goal.
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2. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
2.1 Overall assessment
The department has two units: architectural research and urban studies.
The research in architecture appears to be dominated by technical studies
on energy and building design, especially solar energy, and does not lie
in classical architectural issues. There is a mix of soft and hard methodological
approaches and activities at the interfaces, exemplified by the way
in which environmental psychology studies human response to various
environments. This is paralleled in the urban studies side. It is not clear
how much collaboration there is across the two units and with other
departments, such as the Department of Building and Environmental
Technology.
The department claims a special position within LTH due to its long
tradition of inter- and multi-disciplinary research focused on the mantechniques-society
interaction. However, although there is significant
potential in this topic, there is not much evidence that the department
has been very active in this respect.
The academic staff numbers have remained at 28, but with a reduction
of female members and an increase in staff without permanent contracts.
The number of other personnel has dropped significantly from 41 to 29
during the period from 2003 to 2007. The research income has dropped
from 35 M SEK to 30M SEK during the same period of time. The
department has been fairly active in international recruitments, having
3–4 foreign PhD students (during the whole evaluation period) and two
foreign staff members (during 2006–2007).
2.2 Research infrastructure
The department has two special laboratories. The first is a solar simulator
and the other is a full scale, whole room facility that allows the effects of
alternatives to be studied across a range of interactive variables. It seems
that much of the rest of the research is field based or does not require
special equipment.
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2.3 Research quality
International comparability and innovative power: The research in energy
use, especially solar power, appears to be the predominant research
area with a long track record, including significant impact on policy and
practice. The research in the urban area has also been quite extensive and
involves some interesting cross-cultural work. On the other hand, the
environmental psychology research has not yet achieved the critical mass.
The department is not very visible internationally.
Productivity: Publication activity has not been very high. The number
of original articles in refereed journals was reported to be 83 during the
period under evaluation. In addition, 93 conference papers and 39 book
chapters were produced. However, there clearly has been an increased
publication since the department was established in 2005. The growth in
research publications has been greatest on the engineering side but there
has also been growth in cross-disciplinary studies.
The department produced 16 PhDs and 9 licentiates over the evaluation
period at a fairly steady rate (including graduates before the organisation
change in 2005). The rate is reasonable but there is a clear potential to
increase this production if students can be attracted.
Relevance: The topics investigated appear to have relevance and impact;
however, the actual architectural research issues did not appear.
Vitality and ability to manage research: The department seems to have
taken a positive turn in journal paper production since its reorganization.
On the other hand, there is the problem of the continuing reduction in
research income. The department seems to compensate for the reduction
in research funds by increasing commissioned research. However, this
does not appear to be a healthy way to deal with the problem.
Grade: Considering the relatively low international visibility and lack of
research activity in actual architecture, the grade of good seems appropriate.
However, our overall rating is good/very good due to the strength of
energy research in the department.
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2.4 Collaboration
The department has an expressed goal of exploiting its capabilities in
multi-disciplinary research and there is some evidence that this is beginning
to happen. The environmental psychology area has great potential
for creating synergistic impact when linked with other areas. However,
it is not clear how much collaboration there has been between the two
units in the department and with other departments. The international
collaboration did appear as joint publications with a number of foreign
partners; however, international joint projects were not obvious.
Grade: The background material does not indicate active and wide collaboration;
therefore, overall a grade of good is given.
2.5 Evaluation of future plans
The plans to create a holistic man-techniques-society approach to the
research by addressing major societal issues from a socio-technical
perspective, such as energy and human comfort, are well founded.
This gives some confidence that the situation can continue to improve.
However, the key remaining element is to turn these ideas and capabilities
into compelling research proposals that gain funding. There are
good opportunities especially for EU funding. A further residual issue is
the mobilization of groups that have not engaged in research directed at
journal publication.
Grade: Future plans do show some strategic thinking for the department
as a whole. However, there is an urgent need for plans to address faculty
retirements particularly replacements as well as to get more research
funding. The grade is good.
2.6 Future potentials and possibilities
There is good potential and already some evidence of success in fostering
synergistic activity between the two units. The possibilities to extend
collaboration across LTH and beyond should be exploited further.
2.7 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The department has moved towards gender balance in doctoral students
but the situation has worsened among academic staff.
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3. DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING
AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
3.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Building and Environmental Technology has five divisions
which are active in research. These are: Water Resources Engineering;
Structural Engineering; Building Materials; Building Physics; and
Fire Safety Engineering/system safety. They conduct research into a range
of issues in the general areas of the built society, physical infrastructure
and the environment. The research of the department makes a significant
national contribution in all five areas, with some distinct and unique
research topics also acknowledged at international level.
The total number of staff has decreased between 2003 and 2007 with
significant drops in doctoral students and other personnel. Academic staff
numbers are close to stable; however, it is noted that staff replacements
and continuity may be a problem in the future. There were 11 professors
in 2007. The total number of doctoral students was 54, 18 of whom
worked full time.
The Division of Water Resources Engineering has been very active in international
recruitments. According to separate information, the division
had 22 PhD students, 3 postdocs, and 3 visiting researchers from abroad
during the evaluation period.
Total revenue dropped from 82.8 MSEK to 77.6 MSEK and total
research funding from 58.0 to 53.1 MSEK between the years 2003 to
2007. Grants for research have fallen from 33.2 to 24.7 MSEK over the
same time period. EU funding was lower in 2007 than in 2003 but was
highest in 2006.
3.2 Research infrastructure
The department appears to be well equipped with large laboratories.
There is no indication that the facilities are internationally leading but
they seem to fit the purpose for which they are used. The laboratories
listed are for structural and material testing: calorimetry, building
physics, and fire testing.
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3.3 Research Quality
International comparability and innovative power: Water Resources
Engineering appears particularly strong with significant activity including
international collaboration and unique contributions in areas
such as coastal and lake research. Structural Engineering is known
internationally for timber engineering. The panel observed indications
of decreasing activities in this field and, therefore, suggests a change in
organization in order to maintain this important research area strong.
Building Materials and Building Physics play an important national
role. Fire Safety Engineering is also respected internationally. A dynamic
interaction with international researchers provides a sound environment
for innovation in the department.
Productivity: There were 262 original articles produced between 2002
and 2007 which can be regarded as high. In addition, there has been
an increasing trend in conference papers (25 in 2007). The Department
produced 32 PhDs and 28 licentiates over the period 2003-2007 which is
a good level, especially when taking into account the relatively large size
of the department.
Relevance: All of the research topics investigated appear to have relevance
and impact. This is a strength of the Department.
Vitality and ability to manage research: The high level of productivity
implies an effective system of management. Vitality exists over all groups
but seems particularly high in Water Resources Engineering and Fire
Safety Engineering and Systems Safety.
Grade: With particular strengths in Water Resources Engineering, the
quality ranges from very good to excellent with an overall grade of very
good.
3.4 Collaboration
Collaboration within LU and nationally is a particular strength of the
Department. The Department also collaborates internationally, particularly
in Europe.
Water Resources Engineering collaborates with an impressive network
of visiting international researchers and formal research networks.
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Networking also includes service as key-note speakers at conferences,
scientific journal board memberships and links with research projects for
which they are internationally respected, for example, a mathematical
model for beach processes. The division is also involved in an EU project.
Structural Engineering has national collaboration. Building materials
collaborates nationally and is involved in an EU network. The Division
of Building Physics is involved in two EU (Tempus) projects. Fire Safety
Engineering/Safety Systems is involved with the Swedish Rescue Services
Agency as well as UN organizations. There are many examples of links
with industry.
Grade: The level of collaboration ranges from good to very good being
best in Water Resources Engineering. The overall grade is very good.
3.5 Research activity and teaching
The department provides courses to engineering programs at the undergraduate,
postgraduate and PhD level. Some of the courses are delivered
to professionals and students outside of the University and some internationally.
The management of the teaching ensures that there is a strong
relationship between research and teaching. Students benefit greatly from
being linked to a research-active department.
3.6 Evaluation of future plans
There is a stated threat that key staff may leave/retire in the near future
and that replacement will be difficult. The drop in research activity (seen
in the statistical data) may be the first sign of a problem but it is not clear
that plans are in place to protect and enhance the areas of strength. The
department has a strategy concerning joint research fields; however, it
will be difficult to realize those plans with reduced personnel. Thus, there
appears to be a need for action.
Grade: The grade is very good because of the developed research strategy
and as the threat seems to be recognized.
3.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The divisions in the department appear to be acting on their own plans,
with some successful collaboration between the divisions. There are many
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possibilities for the department to build upon its strengths (e.g., energy
use, sustainability, risk management). It is recommended that a process
be put in place to identify mechanisms for assuring positive developments
in future.
3.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
There is evidence that the department has moved towards gender balance
in doctoral students and researchers. There is still more work to do in
academic staff profiles.
4. DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
4.1 Overall assessment
Three different divisions, Traffic and Roads, Environmental and Energy
System Studies, and Real Estate Science compose the department. It is
quite small with an academic staff of only 18 covering a wide range of
different subjects. There are signs of growing collaboration between the
two first divisions, but not between these and Real Estate. The research
approach is characterized as problem oriented and multi- and interdisciplinary,
which is also reflected in the composition of the staff whose
backgrounds are in different scientific disciplines covering engineering,
social science, science, and health science.
There has been a decreasing trend in research funding. The total funding
has decreased from 34M SEK in 2003 to 29M SEK in 2007. The grants
for research have dropped from 21M SEK to 13 MSEK during the same
period of time.
4.2 Research infrastructure
Most of the research activities do not require special resources. The main
exception is the equipment installed for the study of driver behaviour.
4.3 Research quality
Only two divisions, Traffic and Roads, and Environmental and Energy
System Studies, provided information about their research activities
and strategic research. These two divisions seem to be normal academic
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groups doing research with both national and international visibility. This
is not the case for Real Estate Science that, according to the report from
the department, “has yet to take off”.
The department claims that traffic safety, traffic environment for elderly
and disabled people, and transport and energy systems are areas with
strong national and international impact. Both divisions seem to be
visible on the Swedish as well as on the international (mainly European)
scene. They have been quite successful in getting funding from Swedish
and European research funds and from European Union financed
programmes. However, research depends highly on external funds, which
have decreased considerably since 2003.
Productivity: Considering scientific publications, that is, original
articles (88in total in 2002–2007) and conference papers (totally 106),
the department’s productivity can be rated as rather low. However,
besides strictly scientific publications, the department has produced a
quite high number of published reports largely from research projects
financed by Swedish and European authorities and (less frequently) by
private companies. Although this reflects the applied nature of most of
the department’s research, the publication situation is not fully satisfactory
whereas the production of doctoral theses (21 from 2002 to 2007) is
satisfactory.
Relevance: Much of the research contributes to producing new knowledge
on issues of obvious societal relevance by: 1) providing relevant
knowledge for important policy areas (energy and traffic planning), and/
or 2) helping to solve practical problems such as traffic safety and the
design of traffic solutions to help specific vulnerable groups.
Vitality and ability to manage research: The department has been
established quite recently (in 1999) by putting together several smaller,
previously independent, departments. The department report claims that
interactions have been growing ever since the merger. The joint participation
of the energy system and transport planning groups in national
and international projects is a positive indication of that. However, the
continued existence of separate web pages suggests that they are really
independent units with a low degree of integration. The ability to get
funding from many different sources for applied research indicates
vitality and organisational capacity, but it’s difficult to say to what extent
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this represents the quality of the department as a whole or of the existing
research groups or individuals.
Grade: Real Estate Science was started mainly for teaching. While the
Division claims that they conduct emerging research in the area of real
estate economics we cannot verify this claim and place them into the
insufficient category. On the other hand, the other two divisions have
produced research of clearly satisfactory quality; thus, we find it justified
to use the grade very good for the overall evaluation of the research
activities of the Department.
4.4 Collaboration
Even though there seems to be still a low degree of integration between
the previous departments, the research groups indicate frequent collaboration
within and outside LU. The multidisciplinary composition of the
staff facilitates collaboration with different types of research institutions.
Grade: We grade collaboration as very good.
4.5 Research activity and teaching
The department claims that research is highly relevant for, and integrated
with, their teaching. Sometimes new courses are developed from ongoing
research activities. A number of examples are provided to support that
claim so we find the connection between research and teaching to be
good.
4.6 Evaluation of future plans
In addition to the existing strong research areas, the department
mentions two new ones to be developed in the near future, sustainable
transport and green chemistry. The first one will be supported by a new
Centre for sustainable transport and seems to be a good idea with the potential
to put together not only the competencies in energy and transport
systems but also the activities on traffic safety and traffic environment for
elderly and disabled people. We do caution, however, that transport sustainability
is an extremely topical issue which is being integrated into the
research and teaching of many related disciples and departments, with
many such institutes being established around the world. The department
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should be vigilant and act to ensure that their institute remains vital,
innovative, and productive as the topic becomes more central to so many
other departments and disciplines.
The department’s goal of developing a second new area, green chemistry,
is more difficult to understand based on the written background information;
given the competencies of the department its contribution could be
only marginal to this field. However, the discussions during the site visit
revealed that the term green chemistry is a poor description of planned
new activities. Life cycle analysis would be a better term. Therefore, we
consider the plans to be realistic.
Grade: After the new information obtained, we grade the future plans as
very good.
4.7 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The percentage of women on the academic staff has decreased from 45%
in 2003 to 28% in 2007; this mainly reflects a decrease in the number of
female research fellows and researchers (from 4 to 0), that is, those with
the most unstable employment conditions. Slightly more than half of
the current doctoral students are female. Only 17% of the professors and
44% of the senior lectures are female. Thus, the department demonstrates
the usual gender composition of universities today: women are mainly
represented in junior and lower positions. The increasing portion of
employed female doctoral students (as much as 75% in 2007) is, however,
a sign of balancing development.
5. DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN SCIENCES
5.1 Overall assessment
The department consists of five divisions. It is evaluated by two panels.
Here the following three divisions were evaluated: Rehabilitation Technology,
Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology, and Industrial Design.
The divisions evaluated here consist of about three quarters of the total
personnel of the department. The divisions are in different phases of
development. The Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology is a
well-established and well-known research unit. Rehabilitation engineering
also has a long and successful history in LU. On the other hand,
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Industrial Design is a new area where no PhDs were completed before the
period evaluated.
The research has an interdisciplinary character focused on the design of
products, environments and technology systems as well as on the interactions
between people and environment. This is a rather unique unit in a
faculty of engineering. The department is also characterized by extensive
collaboration both within LU and with external partners.
The total number of staff has increased from 52 to 70 and the total
number of academic staff from 14 to 21 between the years 2003 and
2007. There were six professors in 2007. The total number of registered
doctoral students was 30, ten of whom worked full time. The international
recruitments have remained quite low. However, there have been a
total of 4 visiting postdocs or professors during the evaluation period.
The total revenue has increased from 48.3 to 61.3 MSEK and total
research funding from 33.0 to 40.3 MSEK between the years 2003 and
2007. Grants for research have grown from 16.8 to 20.4 MSEK during
the same period of time. However, the percentage of research grants has
slightly decreased as a share of total revenue, from 34.8% in 2003 to
33.3% in 2007. However, EU funding has increased significantly from
0.9 (2003) to 3.5 MSEK (2007).
5.2 Research infrastructure
The department has modern spaces in Ingvar Kamprad Design centre
(IKDC). These include several well-equipped laboratories, among which
the Aerosol and Thermal Environment Laboratories are internationally
famous. In addition, the laboratories of other LU departments have been
widely utilized.
5.3 Research Quality
International comparability and innovative power: The department
focuses on the interaction between humans, technology and design.
This provides a good basis for highly innovative research. The Division
of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology has gained good international
reputation. To a great extent, this has been achieved by extensive collaboration
(discussed below). Their research has been regularly published
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in good international journals. The other divisions have been less visible
internationally.
Productivity: The number of original articles in refereed journals was
reported to be162 in 2002–2007 for the whole department. There has
been a clearly increasing trend in publication. The number of original articles
published annually has increased from 9 (in 2002) to 43 (in 2007).
In addition, 196 conference papers, 33 book chapters, 21 books and 4
edited volumes have been published. There is no clear trend in the annual
numbers of these other publications. As a whole, the publication volume
is currently good for a department of this size. It was not possible to
determine conclusively how the publication activity was divided between
various divisions. The separate publication list, however, indicates that
the Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology has been productive.
The three divisions evaluated here produced 15 PhDs and 11 licentiates in
2003–2007. The amount of PhDs produced per year has increased from 1
(in 1998–2002) to 3 (in 2003–2007). Unfortunately, the percentage of new
female doctors has decreased from 20 to 13% at the same time. The amount
of licentiates has remained virtually unchanged (about 2/year) since 1998.
Relevance: Many of the topics investigated have large practical impact.
Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology have studied important environmental
and occupational health problems. Rehabilitation Engineering is
trying to create better conditions for people with disabilities. Their knowledge
has also been used in design of products and environments. The
Department is also a bridge between engineering and other subject areas
in LU. In addition, one spin-off company and as many as seven patents
were reported. Without doubt, the research activity is highly relevant.
Vitality and ability to manage research: Even the most successful division,
Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology, is quite small. In this respect,
its achievements are really respectable. Its extensive and versatile research
network is an indication of outstanding research management. They have
also been capable to refocus their research according to the changing
needs in society.
Grade: The Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology belongs to
the leading research laboratories in the world. Thus, its level of research
quality is outstanding. The grade for the whole department is excellent.
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5.4 Collaboration
Active and wide collaboration is a special strength of the department. Ergonomics
and Aerosol Technology has achieved synergistic collaboration
via the METALUND centre and CAST consortium. The collaboration
with Nuclear Physics and Occupational and Environmental Medicine
has been especially beneficial. Risk analysis and management is another
field where the joint research with the Department of Fire Safety Engineering
and Systems safety and the Department of Psychology has been a
crucial factor in achieving high status in the field. Ergonomics researchers
have also been active participants in several multidisciplinary centres.
The collaboration with industry, organizations and the public sector has
also been extensive. The participation of Rehabilitation Engineering in
research collaboration networks has been less extensive. The same is true
for the newest area, Industrial Design.
The Department has participated in 12 EU projects over the last five years.
Grade: As a whole, the grade for collaboration is excellent.
5.5 Research activity and teaching
The teaching load is rather large because the department offers an extensive
program of undergraduate courses and, in addition, is responsible for
a collaboration program with the School of Economics and Management.
The number of master’s theses (94 in 2007) is also large. Compared to
the quite small professor resources, the new opening in industrial design
in 2003 may prevent achieving a good balance between teaching and
research even though this is a postgraduate program.
5.6 Evaluation of future plans
Several new research areas have been listed. All the areas, elderly people
and design, product innovation and innovative learning, sustainable
society, and tomorrow’s health care are very important fields as such and
are likely to become even more important in future. On the other hand,
it is also important to maintain the high quality of research in the present
research areas. All these areas cannot be successfully developed without
considerable new resources.
Grade: Future plans do not show clear strategic thinking. The grade is good.
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5.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The Division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology, including the thermal
environment laboratories, are a particular strength of the department
with great potential. It is important that future plans are developed to
sustain and invest in these areas so that LU can protect and enhance
these areas of international excellence.
Rehabilitation Engineering offers possibilities for much wider collaboration.
This could be combined with development of tomorrow’s health
care. The development of industrial design should be closely followed.
One possibility could also be to focus it to rehabilitation engineering to
achieve the critical mass.
5.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The percentages of female researchers are somewhat low. Even though
this is not unusual in engineering, the development is a little bit alarming
because there has been no positive development in this respect
during the evaluation period. Therefore, we recommend to pay attention
to the situation and recruit women actively to improve the gender
imbalance.
6. CONSTRUCTION SCIENCES
6.1 Overall assessment
The department consists of three major research units: Construction
Management, Solid Mechanics (evaluated under panel 15), and Structural
Mechanics, and three minor research units Building Construction,
Design Methodology, and Engineering Acoustics. The number of staff
for the five units under panel 17 was 32 in 2007. The number of academic
staff was 14 in 2007, which is quite small especially compared with the
number and variety of subjects the five research units cover. There were
only two employed doctoral students in 2007.
The department was formed in 2005, and in 2006 an extra unit was
added. The mix of research discipline within the Department is rather
unique. Three of the research units (Solid Mechanics, Structural Mechanics,
and Engineering Acoustics) are oriented to modelling and solving
physical problems whereas the three other units deal with management,
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production and methodologies. The department claims that the internal
collaboration within the department is successful. However, it seems that
the collaboration has more the sign of inter-departmental relations. This
may weaken the management as resources have to be dedicated to quite
diverse subjects.
The department was forced to reconstruct the Engineering Acoustic unit
in 2005 due to a former employee’s malpractice. The department has suffered
economically and many management resources have been allocated
to solve the problems. The problems are now under control and the future
plans seem promising, but the negative effects will still be noticeable in
the next couple of years.
There has been a decreasing trend in research funding. The total funding
has decreased from 27M SEK in 2003 to 22M SEK in 2007. The loss in
revenue is due to a dramatic drop in commissioned research from 9M
SEK in 2003 to 3M SEK in 2007. The EU-funding is very low. There are
signs that the negative trend will change in the near future. The Department
has announced 5–7 doctoral students and 2 guest lectures financed
by external funding.
6.2 Research infrastructure
The department has a well-equipped Acoustic Laboratory and a quite
traditional laboratory for mechanical testing equipped with standard test
machines. Furthermore the department has access to High Performance
Computing hardware resources through LUNARC, and the department
plays a very active role in LUNARC.
6.3 Research quality
International comparability and innovative power: The department
deals with quite a diversity of subjects. This has not prevented individual
researchers or small groups of researchers from reaching a high international
level, but as a whole the department has been too diversified to gain
an international role. The department has a long tradition of developing
Finite Element Programs for educational purposes, but further development
has been difficult to finance through funding. Reinventing this
field might lead to an international role.
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Productivity: The number of original articles in refereed journals was
reported to be 98 in 2002–2007 (all 6 research units). The level is almost
constant over the years but with a small positive trend. The number of
conference papers has increased significantly over the years, and hopefully
this will increase the number of journal papers in the near future.
The evaluation materials do not allow the panel to directly distinguish
between groups or individuals, but on closer examination it seems
that the publication rate differs considerably within the department. It
might be possible to increase publication rates if all the staff participated
actively in publication. The number of PhDs in 1998–2002 was 15 and in
2003–2007 increased to 16. However, the number of PhD was 0 in 2007
and the panel finds this an alarming development. There are signs of improvement
through new announcements, but still it is a severe problem.
Relevance: Many of the topics investigated have large practical interest
for industry. The major production lies within mathematical modelling
and numerical analysis of physical problems (structures and fluids), and
the department plays an important role in Sweden in these fields.
Vitality and ability to manage research: All the different units and
subgroups in the units are quite small. There seems to be a great variability
in the different groups with respect to research. This underlines the
impression that the department has a somewhat fragmented structure.
Grade: The overall level of research quality has been very good over the
period under evaluation. However, the current situation deserves only to
be judged as good.
6.4 Collaboration
The department claims a long lasting reputation for external cooperation
with the Industry. This is somewhat contradicted by the large drop in
commissioned research, but there are signs of improvement. The collaboration
has primarily been within Sweden, and especially the EU-funding
is very low. In Lund, the department has been very active in the founding
of LUNARC (Center of Computation).
Grade: The grade for collaboration is good/very good.
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6.5 Research activity and teaching
The teaching load is rather large and has been increasing over the years
(with a peak in 2006). The department seems to be very well organized to
conduct its teaching activities. However, it seems to have been more difficult
to attract PhD students. This can also be due to financial problems.
6.6 Evaluation of future plans
The future plans for the department do not seem to be very concrete. It
is expected that some of the current projects will continue and develop
further (Glass and Timber related), and that cross-disciplinarily interaction
will play an increased role. The panel do not agree in the opposition
between rational based methods for design of structures and regulations
and codes. A more fruitful cooperation with Structural Engineering
could lead to better design methods which can be incorporated in
regulations and codes.
Grade: Future plans do not show clear strategic thinking. The grade is
good.
6.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The department has good potentials in different fields which could be
exploited if the department concentrated and focused its resources more.
One example is Acoustics (Fluid-Structure interaction) which has great
importance in many areas. Also, Material Mechanics could be seen in
a broader context; finally the Finite Element Programs has additional
potential for educational purposes.
6.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The percentage of female researchers is low compared to the other departments
under Panel 17. Viewing the numbers in one way, a little positive
trend can be seen in the figures from 2003 and 2007. The management is
aware of the problem, and some new recent appointments have addressed
the problem. However, the problem seems to remain unresolved since the
percentage of female PhD students has declined over the years.
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7. ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS
7.1 Overall assessment
The Department of Electrical Engineering is evaluated under panel 13
except for the Division of Engineering of Geology which is evaluated
under panel 17.
The Division of Engineering Geology was recently merged; the division
claims that this change has been logical due to their strong demand for
measuring data. The division is quite small but seems to have found
a fruitful niche in dealing with subsurface/subsea investigations. The
division is active in different engineering fields such as groundwater engineering,
geothermal energy and the development of measurement devices
applicable for detecting physical properties of material. The number of
academic staff was only 5 in 2007. In addition, there were 9 other personnel
and one doctoral student. The research income has dropped from 15
M SEK in 2003 to less than 11 M SEK in 2007. The drop in research
income is due to a dramatic change in ”Grants for research, Other funding”,
which might be related to ongoing infrastructure projects. It could
be a sign of vulnerability to external sources of funding. The amount of
EU funding is relative low.
7.2 Research infrastructure
One of the strength of the division is their capability to handle a wide
range of geophysical subsurface or subsea measurements. The applications
deal with measurements in very deep borehole, non-destructive testing
of construction (man made and natural material), test pumping systems
in connection with heat exchangers and documentation and analysis of
sea and lake bottom. The equipment consists of a wide range of measurement
devices. The division has a test drilling unit for all kinds of drilling
methods to about 300 m, heavy duty vehicles, and a versatile boat for fast
and efficient surveying of sea environments.
7.3 Research quality
International comparability and innovative power: The division has in the
past been developed new measuring methods and applications, which are
internationally recognized. However, the present level is not as high. The
division has on-going initiatives, e.g., the internet portal ”Havsportalen”
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in order to strengthen future collaborations. In general, the research activities
have also shifted from more fundamental research into applications.
From an engineering perspective, the field has great potential.
Productivity: The panel can not directly evaluate the scientific production
as we only have numbers for the whole department. However, we
have estimated the scientific production based on information on the
homepage. The productivity seems to be around average for the departments
under panel 17.
The division produced 5 PhDs and 9 licentiates over the evaluation
period, which is quite good compared to the other departments under
panel 17.
Relevance: The division deals with topics with high relevance for society
e.g. development of geothermal energy, subsurface investigations serving
large infrastructure projects and analysis of groundwater resources. The
division plays a central role in Sweden in these matters.
Vitality and ability to manage research: The division is rather small and
therefore rather dependent on individuals. It seems to be quite vital at the
moment but with the age structure in mind, problems may appear in the
not so distant future. The new professor in Engineering Geology might
be part of a future solution.
Grade: The grade for research quality is very good.
7.4 Collaboration
The division has an intensive cooperation with national authorities
responsible for infrastructure constructions. The division has participated
in all major infrastructure projects in the southern part of Sweden such as
the Malmö-tunnel and the Öresund-bridge. The division claims to have
good cooperation with other divisions in the department, and the on-site
visit supported that impression. In addition to that the division cooperates
with other departments, groups at Lund University; the internet
portal ”Havsportalen” is a reinforcement of this cooperation.
Grade: The grade for collaboration is very good.
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7.5 Research activity and teaching
The division is involved in different educational programmes and the
division seems to be good in attracting PhD students.
7.6 Evaluation of future plans
According to the written self-evaluation, future plans are primarily to
improve existing methods and applications. More information was obtained
during the site visit. One of the plans is to increase the international
visibility. The division has primarily been dealing with Swedish problems,
but in the past, several of their measuring methods have been internationally
recognized. There is potential for strengthening the international
aspect of their research.
A very central problem for this small division is its age structure. It is a
bit alarming that the average age of academic staff is now 53 and it has
increased with 4 years from 2003 to 2007. There seems to be no specific
plans dealing with this subject, but it should be of concern for the
department and faculty.
Grade: The grade for future plans is very good.
7.7 Gender and equal opportunity issues
All persons in the academic staff are males. However, the potential for
more female academic staff is present as the PhD students have a reasonable
female representation.
8. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE
FOR INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS
8.1 Overall assessment
This is a quite young unit that has managed to start with an impressive
range of activities. It has been productive with regard to scientific papers
as well as other kinds of publications and with regard to the production
of PhD degrees. It has very strong relationships with the outside world
and has proved to be capable of active involvement in the interface
between academia, and the public and private sector. The integration of
teaching with ongoing research is prioritized and apparently with success.
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The research is divided into three areas: 1) Sustainable Products and
Service Systems, 2) Energy for Sustainable Development, and 3) Policies
and Systems for Sustainable Buildings. These areas are also reflected in
the topics of master theses. The Institute’s research is also closely linked to
research at other departments as described in their report.
In 2007 there were 2 professors and 5 senior lecturers at the Institute.
This represents an increase of approx 100 % since 2003. In the same
time, the number of full time doctoral students has decreased from 11
to 8. On the other hand, the average age of doctoral students is 30 years
in 2007 compared with 40 years in the period 1998–2002. In addition
there were 21 fulltime equivalent (FTE) other personnel which may also
include (senior) researchers. The total FTE is 35 in 2007 compared with
38 in 2002. In their Annual Report for 2007 they write: ”The faculty
consists of 27 people, in total 13.7 FTE. Of this FTE 4.5 are allocated
to teaching in the MSc programmes and in courses at the undergraduate
level.”
8.2 Research infrastructure
The Institute is organized under Special Activities and connected to LTH
as required for appointments and dissertations. However, it is governed
under a separate Board with an external expert appointed by the University
and the Swedish Government. This gives a special position to the
Institute; on the other hand, it is very dependent on research grants.
8.3 Research quality
The number of publications has varied throughout the last 6 years, and is
quite high taking into account the small number of professors and senior
lecturers.
The publications that best represent research activities seem to be quite
relevant for two of the three strategic areas: Sustainable Products and
Service Systems, and Energy for Sustainable development.
Their achievements have also been reflected in the many prizes and
awards achieved in 2003–2007. The information provided also gives a
good impression of a high level of national and international activities.
This information also gives a very good overview of the activities taking
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place in the interface between academia, private and public sectors. To
achieve a good reputation in all of these areas is a very demanding task.
Grade: We evaluate the quality as very good.
8.4 Collaboration
The iinstitute has divided their research focus into three main areas;
their research is also closely linked to research at other departments as
described in their report. This gives the institute a special position in both
interlinking internally with other researchers at LU, and at the same time
having a broader base of knowledge to support industry in external projects.
This was also reported as a very successful strategy by the institute.
The institute has managed to maintain both a sterling academic reputation
and high integration and influence with society and industry. It has
several national and international projects and seems to have managed to
utilize the synergies among the various disciplines. The institute has also
reported on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the
research. Multidisciplinarity is mentioned under each of these headings.
By integrating with other departments at the university, the institute has
also clearly succeeded in building multidisciplinary skills.
Total revenues and costs increased in 2007 compared with 2003 but the
revenues for undergraduates were reduced by 50 % in the same period.
However, research grants have increased in the same period. This illustrates
that the activities of the institute are of high relevance for the Swedish
government, for industry and for EU (since the grants from EU also
increased 100% since 2003).
Grade: The institute has a very impressive record of collaboration in
many directions, and is therefore evaluated as excellent.
8.5 Research activity and teaching
There have been about 30 MSc students each year. Since the MSc
program is international, the institute receives students from all over the
world. MSc students are urged to select topics for their thesis that are
simultaneously related to topics in their homeland and actual research
activities at the Institute.
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The institute has several national and international projects and seems to
have managed to utilize the synergies between the various disciplines in
the education.
8.6 Evaluation of future plans
The written research plans describe the institute’s goal of making an
effective and efficient contribution to changes in modern and developing
societies. Unfortunately the research plans did not specify what this
means for the Institute and how their strategy would make this possible.
However, based on discussions during the site visit, we regard the ideas as
well chosen. Research on the impact on society caused by production and
products is very important; because the Institute has a wide international
network and a good reputation, the plans appear to be realistic.
Grade: Based on the discussions, the future plans are considered to be
very good.
8.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The institute plans to concentrate mainly on its three existing research
areas. We find this to be a reasonable plan as the unit is quite new and
one of the areas, sustainable buildings, needs additional development.
The institute has several projects with external funding; many research
activities are based upon these funding sources. It would be important
to prioritize long-term strategic programs within each of the research
fields. One of the aims of the institute is to contribute to more sustainable
development of the society. The current research areas are very well suited
for that. Since the Institute is a young unit, it should allow itself time to
develop this further.
8.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The Institute has 2 full time professors, one of whom is a woman. This
gives a good balance even though the number of people is low. The
Institute’s educational activities and research topics have traditionally
been attractive to both sexes so the Institute should have good opportunities
to attract both male and female students in the future.
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9. SUMMARY
In spite of organizational reforms, the departments remain rather small.
In addition, the research groups traditionally have only one professor. The
panel was also left with the general impression that the research groups
often connect only weakly, even those inside the same department. Thus,
optimal synergism between the groups is not always achieved. In many
cases, the lack of synergy has lead to a diluted research focus.
The grades given by the panel are summarized in the next table.
Department
Grade
Research Quality
Collaboration Future Plans
Architect.&Built Environ. good/very good good good
Bldg&Environ.Technology very good very good very good
Technology&Society very good very good very good
Design Sciences excellent excellent good
Construction Sciences good/very good good/very good good
Electrical Measurements very good very good very good
IIIEE very good excellent very good
The grades given for research quality range from good/very good to
excellent. Most departments qualify for the grade very good. Only one
department is evaluated as excellent (Design Science). The differences
between various divisions are larger in this respect, as could be anticipated.
There are two really excellent divisions (Ergonomics and Aerosol
Technology in Design Science and Water Resources Engineering in
Building and Environmental Technology).
Even though many departments appeared at least somewhat fragmented,
the level of collaboration is generally at least satisfactory. There are several
examples of extensive and successful collaboration and networking. Two
departments obtain the grade excellent.
Future plans seem to be the weakest part. Those often lack strategic
considerations and do not reflect the strategy of the faculty. The rating
of the future plans of three departments is good and no departments are
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graded as excellent. However, it is not entirely clear for the panel if this
is really true because it appeared during the site visit that at least some
departments actually have quite good plans that those were not presented
in the written background information.
10. RECOMMENDATIONS
LTH should continue the organizational reform designed to create the
larger departments necessary for efficient strategic planning. At the same
time, it is essential that the departments narrow their research focus to
the most competitive research areas. This would require creation of larger
research areas where synergistic collaboration could be achieved. Most
departments should also pay more attention to international recruitment
of PhD students and staff to strengthen their international profiles. This
has not been emphasized strongly enough either in the strategy of the
Faculty of Engineering. There is a common need for stronger leadership
and strategic planning. Several key-researchers are close to retirement
and a strategy how to maintain these strong areas is needed. The gender
balance situation is better in the departments evaluated than in European
engineering faculties in general. Nevertheless, some departments have
actually lost female faculty and researchers so some balancing action is
still needed. In the following text, more detailed recommendations for
some individual departments are given.
Architecture and Built Environment: Even though we understand
the focus on solar energy, we see it important to strengthen traditional
architecture research as well. Urban planning research should be unified
and internal collaboration increased.
Building and Environmental Technology: The role of structural engineering
and mechanics should be reorganized. Material engineering
research on the use of wood also exists in the Department of Construction
Sciences. It would be useful to concentrate this research in one
department. This is also important because there are indications that the
activity in timber engineering research, where the level has been high,
is decreasing. Thus, it is important to take this into consideration while
planning larger departments. Water Resources Engineering is a strong
unit but seems to stay separate from the rest of the department. Therefore,
relocation of this division could be considered.
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Technology and Society: The process to get the previous departments
to work more together should be supported. Real Estate Science is not
competitive and its situation needs to be examined.
Design Sciences: Rehabilitation Engineering has great potential. Its
internal and external collaboration should be increased. We recommend
that the unit refrain from further new openings and instead concentrate
on strengthening this division. There is a need for close follow-up of
Industrial Design.
Construction Sciences: The recommendation given above to the Department
of Building and Environmental Technology also applies to
Construction Sciences. Acoustic research offers great possibilities and it
should be emphasize more.
Electrical Measurements (Engineering geology): The age structure is a
severe problem and should be addressed.
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ANNEX 2
– MEMBERSHIP OF THE REVIEW TEAMS
Overall Chair of the Review Process
Professor Geoffrey Boulton, University of Edinburgh,
School of Geosciences, UK.
Chair of the Lund University Management Committee
for the Review
Professor Bengt Söderström, Lund University.
Panel 1 – Law
Professor Kaarlo Tuori, University of Helsinki, Department of Criminal
Law and Judicial Procedure, Helsinki, Finland – Chair
Dr. Heikki Pihlajamäki, University of Helsinki, Department of Criminal
Law and Judicial Procedure, Helsinki, Finland – Vice-Chair
Professor Heikki E. S. Mattila, University of Lapland, Faculty of Law,
Rovaniemi, Finland
Professor Linda Nielsen, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law,
Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor Terttu Utriainen, Faculty of Law, University of Lapland,
Rovaniemi, Finland
Professor Jens Vedsted -Hansen, Aarhus University, School of Law,
Department of Jurisprudence, Aarhus, Denmark
Panel 2 – Religious Studies
Professor Oda Wischmeyer, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-
Nürnberg, Teologishe Fakultät, Erlangen, Germany – Chair
Professor Egbert Schroten, University of Utrecht, Centre for Bio-Ethics
and Health Law, Utrecht, the Netherlands – Vice-Chair
Professor Peter B. Clarke, Oxford University, Faculty of Theology,
Wolfson College, Oxford, UK
Professor Ingvild Saelid Gilhus, University of Bergen, Department of
Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, Bergen, Norway
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Panel 3 – Arts
Professor Peter Madsen, University of Copenhagen, Department of Arts
and Cultural Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark – Chair
Professor Ragnar Audunson, Oslo University College, Library and
Information Studies, Oslo, Norway – Vice-Chair
Professor Nicky Gregson, the University of Sheffield, Department of
Geography, Sheffield, UK
Professor Petri Karonen, University of Jyväskylä, Department of History
and Ethnology, Jyväskylä, Finland
Professor Björn Sörenssen, The Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Department of Art and Media Studies, Trondheim,
Norway
Panel 4 – Philosophy/Languages
Professor Fred Karlsson, University of Helsinki, Department of General
Linguistics, Helsinki, Finland – Chair
Professor Göran Sundholm, Leiden University, Faculty of Philosophy,
History & Philosophy of Logic, Leiden, the Netherlands – Vice-Chair
Professor Kirsti Kock Christensen, the University of Bergen, Rector’s
Office, Bergen, Norway
Professor Kevin Mulligan, Université de Genève, Départment de
Philosophie, Genève. Switzerland
Professor Chris Sinha, University of Portsmouth, Department of
Psychology, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Panel 5 – Behavioural Science
Professor Britt-Marie Drottz Sjöberg, Norwegian University of Science
and Technology, Department of Psychology, Trondheim, Norway –
Chair
Professor David Phillips, University of Oxford, Department of Education,
Oxford, UK – Vice-Chair
Professor Sigurd Allern, University of Oslo, Department of Media and
Communication, Blindern, Norway
Professor Kenneth Hugdahl, Bergen University, Faculty of Psychology,
Bergen, Norway
Professor Peter Kemp, School of Education, University of Aarhus,
Department of Philosophy of Education, Copenhagen, Denmark
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Panel 6 – Social Science
Professor Harriet Silius, Åbo Akademi, Women’s Studies, Åbo, Finland
– Chair
Professor Nico Stehr, Zeppelin University, Cultural Studies,
Friedrichshafen, Germany – Vice-Chair
Professor Helena Blomberg-Kroll, University of Helsinki, Swedish School
of Social Science, Helsinki, Finland
Professor Liv Finstad, University of Oslo, Deptartment of Criminology
and Sociology of Law, Oslo, Norway
Professor Thomas Mathiesen, University of Oslo, Department of
Criminology and Sociology of Law, Oslo, Norway
Professor Jan Sundberg, University of Helsinki, Department of Political
Science, Helsinki, Finland
Professor Erik Swyngedouw, the University of Manchester, School of
Environment and Development, Manchester, UK
Professor Unni Wikan, University of Oslo, Department of Social Anthropology,
Oslo, Norway
Panel 7 – LUSEM
Professor Eva Liljeblom, Swedish School of Economics and Business
Administration, Department of Finance and Statistics, Helsinki,
Finland – Chair
Professor James Foreman-Peck, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business
School, Welsh Institute for Research in Economics and Development,
Cardiff, UK – Vice-Chair
Professor Stuart Blume, University of Amsterdam, Department of
Sociology and Anthropology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Professor Klaus G. Grunert, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of
Business, Department of Marketing and Statistics, Aarhus, Denmark
Professor Hans-Christian Johansen, University of Southern Denmark,
Institute of History and Civilization, Odense, Denmark
Professor Francesca Sanna-Randaccio, University of Rome “La Sapienza”,
Department of Computer and Systems Science, Rome, Italy
Professor Matti Sillanpää, Turku School of Economics, Department of
Economics, Commercial Law, Turku, Finland
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Panel 8 – Medicine/Clinical
Professor Per E. Lönning, University of Bergen, Institute of Medicine,
Bergen, Norway – Chair
Professor Doris Henne-Bruns, University of Ulm, Department of
Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Ulm, Germany – Vice-Chair
Professor Pieter Sauer, Beatrix Children’s Hospital, University Medical
Center Groningen, Department of Pediatrics, Groningen, the
Netherlands
Professor Roger Hitchings, University College London, Moorfield Eye
Hospital, London, UK
Professor Gabriel P. Krestin, Radiology Department, Erasmus Medical
Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Professor Russell P. Tracy, Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry
Research, Department of Pathology and Biochemistry, College of
Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington USA,
Professor Hannele Yki-Järvinen, Department of Medicine, Division of
Diabetes, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Panel 9 – Medicine/Experimental
Professor Christian Aalkjaer, University of Aarhus, the Water and Salt
Research Centre, Institute of Physiology and Biophysics, Aarhus,
Denmark – Chair
Professor John Couchman, University of Copenhagen, Department of
Biomedical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark – Vice-Chair
Professor Steven R. Goldring, Cornell University, Medical School,
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USA
Professor Etienne Hirsch, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CCRE, Paris,
France
Professor Stephen G. Lisberger, University of San Francisco, Department
of Physiology, San Francisco, USA
Professor Taina Pihlajaniemi, University of Oulo, Department of
Molecular Biology, Oulo, Finland
Professor Wolfgang E. Schmidt, Ruhr-University Bochum, Department
of Medicine, Bochum, Germany
Professor Monica Spiteri, University Hospital of North Staffordshire/
Keele University, Directorate of Respiratory Medicine, Staffordshire,
UK
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Panel 10 – Medicine/Laboratory
Professor Leif Andersson, University of Helsinki, Department of
Pathology, Haartman Institute, Finland – Chair
Professor Catherine Verfaillie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Stamcelinstituut, Belgium – Vice-Chair
Professor Steen Gammeltoft, University of Copenhagen, Department of
Clinical Biochemistry, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark
Professor Elizabeth Macintyre, Necker Enfants Malades et Université
Paris – Descartes, Paris, France
Professor Claire Poyart, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris V Paris,
Centre national de référence des Streptocoques, France
Professor Ulf-Håkan Stenman, University of Helsinki, Department of
Clinical Chemistry Finland
Panel 11 – Medicine/Health
Professor (em.) Eino Heikkinen, Department of Health Sciences, Finnish
Centre for Interdisciplinary Gerontology, University of Jyväskylä,
Finland – Chair
Dr. Gaynor Sadlo, School of Health Professions, University of Brighton,
UK – Vice-Chair
Professor Jan P. Hamers, Maastricht University, Care and Public Health
Research Institute, The Netherlands
Professor Helena Leino-Kilpi, Department of Nursing Science,
University of Turku, Finland
Professor Karl Mann, University of Heidelberg, Department of Addictive
Behaviour & Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health,
Mannheim, Germany
Professor David Richards, Department of Health Sciences University of
York, UK
Panel 12 – Science/BioGeo
Professor Paul Harvey, University of Oxford, Department of Zoology,
Oxford, UK – Chair
Dr. Clare H. Robinson, University of Manchester, School of Earth,
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Manchester, UK – Vice-
Chair
Professor Mary E. Edwards, University of Southampton School of
Geography, Southampton, UK
Professor André Goffeau, Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut des
Sciences de la Vie, Louvain, Belgium
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Professor Cathie Martin, John Innes Centre, Metabolic Biology, Colney,
Norwich, UK
Professor Hans-Joachim Pflüger, Freie Universität Berlin, Institut fuer
Biologie, Neurobiologie, Berlin, Germany
Professor Outi Savolainen, University of Oulu, Department of Biology,
Oulu, Finland
Panel 13 – Science-LTH/Physics
Professor Robert Feidenhans’l, University of Copenhagen, Niels Bohr
Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark – Chair
Professor Talat Rahman, University of Central Florida, Department of
Physics, Orlando, Florida, USA – Vice-Chair
Professor Paul Hewett, the University of Cambridge, School of the
Physical Sciences, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK
Professor Mogens Høgh Jensen, University of Copenhagen, Niels Bohr
Institute, BioNET, Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor George Kalmus, Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Particle Physics Department,
Oxfordshire, UK,
Professor Helmut Neunzert, Frauenhofer Institute Techno- und
Wirtschaftsmathematik, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Professor Leonid Rivkin, Paul Scherrer Institute, Department ’Large
Research Facilities’, Villigen PSI and Particle Accelerator Physics
Laboratory, LPAP Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne,
Switzerland
Professor Peter Wells, Cardiff University, School of Engineering, Cardiff,
UK
Professor Bernt Öksendal, University of Oslo, Centre of Mathematics for
Applications, Oslo, Norway
Panel 14 – Science-LTH/Chemistry
Professor Karl Anker Jørgensen, University of Aarhus, Center for Catalysis,
Aarhus, Denmark – Chair
Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas, University of Cambridge,
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge, UK
– Vice-Chair
Professor Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo, University of Porto, Department of
Chemical Enginering, Portugal
Professor Frans de Schryver, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Departement Chemie, Heverlee, Begium
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annex 2 – membership of the review teams
Professor Brigitte Voit, the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research
Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Professor Fons Voragen, Wageningen University, Agrotechnology and
Food Sciences, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Panel 15 – Product Development
Professor Vinod Sarin, Boston University, College of Engineering,
Boston, USA – Chair
Professor Maria de Graca Carvalho, Bureau of European Policy Advisers
(BEPA ) European Commission, Brussels, Belgium – Vice-Chair
Professor Hendrik Van Brussel, K.U. Leuven, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Heverlee, Belgium
Professor Natalie Fabbe-Costes, Université de la Méditerranée (Aix-
Marseille II), CRET-LOG, Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de
Gestion, France
Professor Armand Hatchuel, Ecole des Mines de Paris, Centre de Gestion
Scientifique, Paris, France
Professor Michael Hayes, University College, Department of
Mathematical Physics, Dublin, Ireland
Professor Darina Murray, Trinity College, Mechanical & Manufacturing
Eng., Dublin, Ireland
Panel 16 – Science-LTH/Systems science
Professor Albert Benveniste, INRIA, the French National Institute for
Research in Computer Science and Control, Rennes Cedex, France –
Chair
Professor Femke Olyslager, Ghent University, Department of Information
Technology, Ghent, Belgium – Vice-Chair
Professor Anneliese Andrews, University of Denver, Department of
Computer Science, Denver, USA
Professor Marc Engels, Flanders’ Mechatronics Technology Centre,
Heverlee, Belgium
Professor Keith Glover, University of Cambridge, Department of
Engineering, Cambridge, UK
Professor Paul Kühn, Universität Stuttgart, Institut für
Kommunikationsnetze und Rechnersysteme, Stuttgart, Germany
Professor Birger Möller Pedersen, University of Oslo, Department of
Informatics, Oslo, Norway
Professor Jacquelien M.A. Scherpen, University of Groningen, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences ITM, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Panel 17 – Building
Professor Pentti Kalliokoski, University of Kuopio, Faculty of
Environmental Sciences, Kuopio, Finland – Chair
Professor Lars Damkilde, Aalborg University, Esbjerg, Department of
Computational Mechanics, Esbjerg, Denmark – Vice-Chair
Professor Peter Barrett, University of Salford, Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Research, Strategic Leadership Team, Greater Manchester, UK
Professor Ulrike Kühlmann, Stuttgart University, Institut für Konstruktion
und Entwurf, Stuttgart, Germany
Professor Annik Magerholm Fet, Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Department of Industrial Economics and Technology
Management, Trondheim, Norway
Professor Ole Jess Olsen, Roskilde University, The Department of
Environmental, Social and Spatial Change Energy, Environment and
Climate, Roskilde, Denmark
Professor Ken Parsons, Loughborough University, Department of
Human Sciences, Leicestershire, UK
Professor Sandra Rosenbloom, University of Arizona, Planning Degree
Program, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Expert Advisors
Professor Graham F Welch, Department of Arts and Humanities,
Institute of Education, University of London, London, UK (Panel 5)
Professor John Urry, Dept of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster,
UK (Panel 6)
Professor Marjorie Wilson, School of Earth and Environment, Earth
Sciences, Leeds University, UK (Panel 12)
Professor Dolores Cahill, School of Medicine and Medical Sciences,
UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
(Panel 14)
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ANNEX 3 – PANEL STRUCTURE
Departments, Divisions or research areas
Panel 1 – Law
Department of Law
Panel 2 – Religious Studies
Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
Panel 3 – Arts
Department of European Ethnology
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
Department of History
Department of Art History and Musicology
Department of Cultural Sciences
Centre for Languages and Literature (Research area Literature)
Panel 4 – Philosophy/Languages
Centre for Languages and Literature (Research area Languages)
Department of Philosophy
Panel 5 – Behavioural Science
Department of Psychology
Department of Education
Department of Media and Communication Studies
Panel 6 – Social Sciences
School of Social Work and Social Welfare
Department of Sociology of Law
Department of Sociology (and Social Anthropology)
Department of Gender Studies
Department of Department of Political Science
Department of Social and Economic Geography
Campus Helsingborg – Service Management
(Organisation, Sociology & Social Geography)
Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies
Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies
Centre for European Studies
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annex 3 – panel structure
Panel 7 – Lund University School of Economics
and Management (LUSEM)
Department of Economic History
Centre of Economic Demography
Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning
Economy (Circle)
Department of Business Administration
Department of Business Law
Department of Economics
Department of Statistics
Department of Informatics
Research Policy Institute
Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies
Panel 8 – Medicine/Clinical
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund (incl Medical Radiation Physics)
Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö
Panel 9 – Medicine/Experimental
Department of Experimental Medical Science
Panel 10 – Medicine/Laboratory
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Malmö
Lund Stem Cell Center
Panel 11 – Medicine/Health
Department of Health Sciences
Panel 12 – Science/BioGeo
Department of Cell and Organism Biology with
The Biological museums
Department of Ecology
Department of Geology
Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis
Panel 13 – Science-LTH/Physics
Department of Physics (incl personnel at MAX-lab)
Centre of Mathematical Sciences
Department of Theoretical Physics
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Lund Observatory
Department of Electrical Measurements
Panel 14 – Science-LTH/Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
Department of Chemical Engineering
Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition
Department of Immunotechnology
Panel 15 – Product Development
Department of Energy Sciences
Department of Design Sciences (Div Packaging Logistics, Div Machine
Design)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Industrial Management and Logistics
Department of Construction Sciences (Div of Solid Mechanics)
Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation
Panel 16 – Systems science
Department of Electrical and Information Technology
Department of Computer Science
Department of Automatic Control
Panel 17 – Building
Department of Architecture and Built Environment
Department of Building and Environmental Technology
Department of Technology and Society
Department of Design Sciences (Div Rehabilitation Technology and
Ergonomics, Div Aerosol Technology, Div Industrial Design)
Department of Construction Sciences
Department of Electrical Measurements (Div of Engineering Geology)
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
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annex 4 – terms of reference
ANNEX 4 – TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. Background
Lund University is the largest university in Sweden with a total turnover
of more than SEK 5 billions (app. € 550 millions). The university was
founded 1666 in order to aid the full incorporation in the Swedish
national state of the former Danish province. Lund University has three
campuses: Lund and two smaller campuses in Helsingborg and Malmö;
nine faculties: Engineering, Science, Law, Social Sciences, Medicine,
Humanities, Theology, Economics and Management, Performing arts;
ca 80 departments; 1,600 single subject courses (300 taught in English),
undergraduate and graduate degree programmes; ca 40,000 undergraduate
and masters students (ca 25,000 full time equivalents); 2,500 PhD
students; 5,500 employees (1400 professors and lecturers, 1100 teachers
and researchers).
Lund University is a Member of LERU (League of European Research
Universities) and U21 (Universitas 21) and has exchange programs or
agreements with a large number of universities.
2. Objectives and Aims
RQ08 is the first research evaluation of Lund University as a whole. The
long-term aim of the evaluations, which will be carried out every five
years, is to strengthen the University as a research organisation of international
high standard.
The aims of RQ08 are
• to be an instrument to attain the goals of the Strategic Plan
• to identify research areas and environments where research of the
highest international standard is done, and to define conditions for
their continued development
• to identify research areas and research environments which have the
potential to
develop towards the highest level of international research, and to
determine what is necessary to ensure such development
• to identify research areas and research environments which are not
internationally or nationally competitive and which lack evident
development potential
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• to identify processes and changes within the University which may
promote development towards the goals of the Strategic Plan
The evaluation focuses solely on research pursued at the University:
achievement, plans and potential. The evaluation will not highlight
individual scientists but will work at a more general level. The reports of
the departments (or comparable units) on their own work constitute the
basic material for the evaluation. As a complement to RQ08, a bibliometric
analysis is planned to be carried out during the spring of 2008. In
the first stage to implement the recommendations from the evaluation
Panels, the Vice-chancellor will allocate approximately 100 MSEK in the
year 2009. Other measures (e.g. reorganisations) will of course also be
taken in order to make use of the evaluation results.
3. Method
Scientific research will be evaluated by a number of expert Panels, each
composed of a number of internationally well-known scientists. Each
Panel will have a chairperson and a vice chairperson. Coordination of the
Panel evaluation is the responsibility of the main chairperson, who is also
appointed from outside of the University. The reports of these Panels will
be collected in a report for the whole University.
The material for evaluation includes the documentation and plans of the
departments (or comparable units) themselves, publications (registered
in Lund University Publications – LUP) and other information from
existing databases. All material will be available in March 2008.
All departments are grouped under one of 17 evaluation Panels. Each
Panel will have a chairperson, and 3–7 other appointed members. During
March and April each Panel will meet for one or two days to plan their
working strategy and reporting responsibilities, and to decide on a vice
chair person. After this meeting each Panel member writes his or her contribution
to a preliminary report which will be compiled by the Chairperson
and which the Chairs will have available at their site visit to Lund.
Panel Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons together with the Main
Chairperson visit the University on June 9–13. The program includes
meeting university, faculty and departmental leaders and departmental
visits can also be scheduled if deemed necessary.
All material and all communication are handled through a web-based
project portal (RQ08.ldc.lu.se). The department heads submit their
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reports via the portal, and Panel experts access reports, statistics and
other material through the portal.
4. Evaluation Criteria
The chief criteria for evaluation are:
• Quality (international comparability and innovative power)
• Productivity (scientific production)
• Relevance (scientific, social and socioeconomic significance)
• Vitality and ability to manage research (flexibility, control and leadership)
Evaluators are expected to grade research units on a six-point scale
(described below) according to these criteria. This is done primarily at
department (or comparable unit) level but may also be done at lower or
higher organisational levels. Individuals are, however, not to be evaluated.
If the evaluation Panel is unable to agree on a grade, they should
give reasons for this. Evaluation according to the criteria given must be
made with due consideration of the mission of the department or unit in
question.
The criteria should be interpreted as follows:
Quality is to be understood as a measure of excellence and attention
received. It is founded on the reputation and position of the unit within
the community of researchers. The quality is assessed on the basis of the
ability of the unit to achieve and present clear-cut scientific analyses and
results. The assessment reflects the position of the unit in relation to the
frontier of research. That position is best judged through peer review. In
the analysis, the peers fall back on their own knowledge and expertise.
Productivity relates to the total volume of scientific reports of the unit.
These are usually in the form of written publications, but other forms
of publication are acceptable. The quantification of production may be
refined by means of bibliometry, which allows citation frequency to be estimated,
or by other means of describing the significance of a publication
to the community. Productivity and its impact must be judged in relation
to the number of researchers at the department or unit.
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Relevance is a criterion which includes the scientific, technological,
clinical, social, cultural and socioeconomic significance of a publication
as well as implementation of research results in the society. The research
is to be placed in relation to the international development of the field of
study or to important development trends or issues in society. Relevance
may be quantified or given a qualitative character.
Vitality and organisational capacity are criteria which concern the internal
vitality of the unit and its contacts with the rest of the world but also
the capacity of the unit to implement successfully the work it has planned.
This may include possible changes in departmental research focus as
well as flexibility and ability to allow the formation of and possibility to
sustain strong research environments. The evaluators are asked to grade
the evaluated research on a six-point scale on the basis of the four criteria
listed above and further exemplified here.
Grading scale:
Outstanding. Outstanding research, in a national and in an international
perspective. Great international interest with a wide impact, normally
including publications in leading journals and/or monographs published
by leading international publishing houses. The research has world
leading qualities.
Excellent. Research of excellent quality. Normally published so as to
have great impact, also internationally. Without doubt, the research has a
leading position in its field in Sweden.
Very good. Research of very high quality. The research has such high
quality that it attracts wide national and international attention.
Good. Good research attracting mainly national attention but possessing
international potential; extraordinarily high relevance may motivate good
research.
Insufficient. The research is insufficient and reports have not gained
wide circulation or do not receive national and international attention.
Research activities should be revised.
Poor. The research is quite inadequate and lacks development potential.
Research activities should be discontinued. In cases where the research
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annex 4 – terms of reference
is of a national character and, in the judgment of the evaluators, should
remain so, the concepts of ”international attention” or ”international
impact” etc in the grading criteria above may be replaced by ”international
comparability”.
Questions to be answered by the evaluators:
Concerning achievements reported
1. The quality, productivity and relevance of activities
2. The vitality and realism of the unit, including, among other things,
leadership, administration, strategy and research programme, placed
in relation to resources and how they may be improved (in relevant
cases)
Concerning plans for the future
1. Are the research plans of the unit well chosen and well formulated in
the light of developments within the field in question?
2. Are the research projects of the unit sufficiently well integrated?
3. Is the infrastructure good enough? This question includes leadership
and administration etc.
4. Is there room for improvements of the plans and the infrastructure?
The Panels are asked to rate the plans for the future according to a
4-grade scale: Excellent, Very Good, Good and Poor.
5. Final Report
A preliminary report from each Panel must be available at the time of
the site visits of the Chairs and Vice-chairs. During this visit, a short
general report for the whole university will be prepared. The final reports
from each Panel and the general university report is expected at the latest
August 31, 2008. The final reports might be edited to fit into a common
format; no wording will be changed.
6. Confidentiality
The Panel members accept not to misuse any non-official information
that might be disclosed. In accordance with Swedish legislation, the Panel
reports will be public once they are submitted in their final form.
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annex 4 – terms of reference
7. Conflict of interest
All Panel members are required to declare any conflict of interests. Please,
observe that Swedish rules of conflict of interest are quite sharp. A special
informative document will be distributed to all Panel members.
8. Panel Report Outline
In their reports (one report per department) the Panels are asked to use
the following headings:
Overall assessment
Give a short general quality assessment of the unit in question.
Research infrastructure
Comment on special resources, and organisation, and other infrastructure
details you find interesting or restricting
Research Quality
Comment on your view on the quality of research. See description above
for criteria and grading
Collaboration
Mark if you find local, national and international collaboration Excellent,
Very good, Good, Poor or worth developing. If you have specific recommendations,
please note them.
Research activity and teaching
Comment if you find remarkable good (or poor) effects/relations between
research and teaching.
Evaluation of future plans
Use the grades Excellent, Very good, Good and Poor to the described
future plans. Give reasons for your grading
Future potentials and possibilities
Comment on possible potential and directions you recommend the
research to take. Mark if you see unused potentials and unique opportunities.
Also, note activities with poor future potential and restricted
possibilities.
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annex 4 – terms of reference
Gender and equal opportunity issues
Lund University strives for good gender balance and equal opportunities.
Please comment any observations on these issues regarding both the present
situation and the plans for the future. Lund University will welcome
all suggestions for improvements.
If required, the Panels can introduce new headings for special purposes.
The Panels are asked not to give lengthy descriptions of their observations;
instead a concise explanation or motivation for their statements and
grading is requested. The Panels are asked not to comment on individual
researchers.
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